


Liminal Spaces and Criminal Cases

by jentaro



Series: LSCC [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: M/M, here i am with the early '90s detective AU that literally nobody asked for, i have no idea what i'm doing with this thank you for coming along on this wild ride with me, really a lot of the cast shows up tbh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-09-03 00:04:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 69,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8688823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jentaro/pseuds/jentaro
Summary: A small town mystery that's too big for one awkward, humble detective to solve on his own.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> literally i owe my whole life to [my friend kat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/tangobullets) for reading this through so thenks mather for my life

The November air was chilly, damp in a very uncomfortable way that was hard to place. Ever since he had come up the coast to this out of the way town, there was a feeling that settled in the pit of his stomach that made him feel vaguely sick. Something was going on, something that quite had nothing to do with the reason he had come this far northwest on the continent. The town itself was in the middle of nowhere, tucked neatly into the woods. The whole town held no more than four hundred people, and seemed to operate on one long main street with many smaller ones branching off into the morning mist that he found himself in.

Kravitz’s first order of business was checking into the motel just off the main highway that seemed to barely scrape the edge of Balance Valley. The chipped paint on the welcome sign boasted a town with nearly two hundred years of history–impressive, considering how out of the way it was, and how little traffic there seemed to be. As squeamish as the atmosphere of this town made him, the fresh air was doing _wonders_ for him, and truth be told it was nice to be further from the smoggy grip of the city he had come from. If only this place didn’t give him the goddamn creeps.

The motel was as abandoned in time as the rest of the town looked at a glance, though yet unexplored. The motel sign was lit up in giant red lettering VACANCY, the NO still yet unlit. Kravitz imagined this place really did not get much business anyway. Surprisingly, his was not the only car in the lot. There was one parked in the furthest space from the main office, and speaking of the main office, the door opened just as he reached for the knob. Of course, Kravitz was prepared, but the other person was not, letting out a yelp almost in his face as they recoiled.

They stared at him for a few uncomfortable moments before he said, “Um-”

“You’re a new face ‘round here.”

“Yes, I’m looking to rent a room for the next few days. Are you able to help me with that?”

“Oh! Yes. I was stepping out for a moment, but if you’ll come in, I can set you up...”

Thankfully, the check in process was short. Tom, as he learned the man’s name was, gave him his room key, and Kravitz paid for four nights up front praying that it would not take that long to find what he had come here for. Still, he had no leads, and he was also a bit exhausted from the journey here. What he had gleaned from Tom was that a short walk around the corner and down the road was a diner he could get a decent meal at. Depending on how he found it, there was a small grocery just a little further down the way and across the street.

Kravitz checked out the room itself first. The mustard, vaguely stained in some places carpet reminded him of every bad ‘70s porn shoot or post-bank robbery scene he’d ever come across on television or otherwise. The wallpaper was peeling at the very top corner of the wall, but it was clean, and he couldn’t smell any mildew or otherwise suspect scents. The bed itself was a bit creaky, old springs that would no doubt wreak havoc on his back whenever he did call it a night. The bedspread too seemed ancient in design, but he could smell the industrial detergent scent wafting up from where he had sat on it. His suitcase ended up on the deep purple, vinyl armchair that clashed disturbingly with this room. Kravitz had never seen anything like it, if he were honest, but now was not the time to investigate, and here was definitely not the place, as much as he’d like to analyze why the bathroom tile was faded powder blue and the shower curtain had wolves howling perpetually on it.

His next order of business was in fact getting something to eat, his stomach grumbling at him unpleasantly as he closed and locked his motel room door. Deciding that the directions were clear enough, and that from the description of the town, everything was clustered together and close anyway, so Kravitz walked the length of the short parking lot to follow the sidewalk around the corner. True enough, he could see the diner as soon as he was on the main road, all monochrome and gaudy pink edging, no doubt neon once night fell and the lights turned on.

Waiting to be seated etiquette had no place in small towns, as Kravitz had learned many times in the past, and this time was no different as soon as he walked in the door. A quick look revealed a very bored person leaning over the front counter looking at something that a kid no older than ten had in front of them. He was barely spared a glance as he made his way to a booth with a good diagonal view of the counter, sitting down after taking his jacket off and laying it on the seat next to himself, folded in half.

“You gonna let some fuckin’ _math_ get the best of you Ango? I know you can do better than that, squirt,” Kravitz watched the kid get their hair mussed up as the other person came from around the counter with a menu in hand. Kravitz observed as they came into view fully, and everything about them was a bit of a paradox. The name tag read Carey, but the voice was masculine. Their hair was tied up into an over the shoulder, short braid. Leggings, trainers, a three-quarter sleeve pink shirt, and an apron slung over the ensemble. “What’s good my guy? Haven’t seen you around here before,” Carey eyed him up and said in just the same way that Kravitz had a feeling down to his bones that everyone who saw him over the next couple of days would ask.

“I’m here on business.”

“With who? Not to be nosy, but there’s like… no business. I mean like nothing big enough for a suit like you to check out. Unless you like lookin’ and soundin’ super suave for no reason, my man.” Kravitz spared a look down at himself and lifted his arms off the table slightly, one smoothing down his tie out of habit. But, that was enough to make them laugh and drawl out, “I don’t mean that in a baaaad way.”

“Right.” He was also painfully aware of his Cockney accent, something he mostly put up for work, and he was aware it made him stand out. Still, he was being considered carefully by this person, but they had a smile on their face. Kravitz instead decided to look at the menu, an unpleasant feeling at his own expense settling into his throat, preventing him from saying anything else.

At least they caught on and asked, “What can I getcha to drink? Got coffee, apple juice, cranberry, uhh,” they reached down to take the menu from his hands and turned it over, “Milk, soda, water, if you want booze, you can get that across the street but it’s a little early to be drinking,” teasingly judgmental like he _had_ ordered the stiff drink Kravitz felt he needed.

“Sir–” The little kid, Ango if his memory served him correctly, called in their direction.

“ _Agnes_ , if you don’t shove your nose back into your homework I’m calling the school up to have you expelled, I fuckin’ swear,” the last bit under his breath while the kid squeaked and went back to it. Well, Kravitz was assuming now that Carey was a he.

Kravitz took the menu back and looked over it quickly, deciding to order it all at once so he could get out of here sooner. “Coffee, black. And I’ll have the house special. Eggs over easy, rye bread.”

“You got it, stud,” with a wink, and he left Kravitz who blinked after him, feeling a bit uncomfortable in the wake of what was probably flirting. It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t attractive, though.

The rest of the time he spent in the diner was uneventful, though he did watch Angie, Ango, Agnes, Aang–whatever the kid’s name was–complete his homework with no help whatsoever from Carey. In fact, it almost looked like he was trying to sabotage the kid, or give him a heart attack while being wholly unsupportive. It looked like tough love, except without the love part. Kravitz kept to himself, though, finishing his (acceptable enough that he knew that out of sheer laziness that he would come back instead of forage for his own food at the market much) food and leaving his money on the table with the bill.

“Later, stranger,” with another wink, and Kravitz felt compelled to give a half wave back, which seemed to delight him.

 

* * *

  

Tom was able to give him a map of the town, one of those incredibly helpful fold out ones that were enlarged so that he could really mark it up and get a better orientation about himself. It was tricky trying to circle the motel with his pen on the bedspread without poking a massive hole in the paper, but he managed to do it lightly. He spared a glance at the diner on the map, trying to shake the encounter from his head. It was early enough in the evening that there was still a vague light in the sky, but it would be getting dark soon. For whatever reason, the impending night had him feeling apprehensive. Straight up anxious? Not quite.

There was a lot of ground to cover, but a lot of it could wait until morning. Rather, once he was done getting a vague layout of the town in his head, he folded up the map and shoved it into his inner pocket. It was time for that stiff drink, and maybe if there were enough people around to ask around about his quarry he could get a good idea of where he should be heading.

The bar? Kravitz could tell it was a place where either dreams came to die, or dreams were being realized by how the other half of the local population was crowded together watching the television hanging from the ceiling as they cheered for whichever team did the thing. He didn’t really pay too much mind to that, rather, he sat at the very end of the bar and got himself that stiff drink he definitely deserved.

The bartender looked at him curiously, eyeing his suit before smiling and saying, “Well hey there stranger, haven’t seen you around here before.”

Kravitz made every effort not to sigh before giving his drink order, and when she brought it back, he thanked her and said, “Sorry, not meaning to be rude. I’m here on business.”

“With who? Not to be nosy,” Kravitz knocked his head back and let the burn of his alcohol slide down his throat to numb himself, hating that he’d been right that he would hear this exact conversation many more times. He was considering starting to dress more casually when he did this type of work going forward.

“I’m actually looking for some information. Has anyone new arrived in town recently?”

“Not since uh, who was that… I can’t remember the name, but like three years ago someone moved to town.”

“Ah, would have been within the last two months.”

“Two months? Nobody I know of then, and I know _everyone_ in this town.”

“It is rather small, I believe you.”

“Who are you looking for?”

Who was he looking for? Kravitz wasn’t really sure himself, just given the lead that a young woman had run away from home, and the person paying him to find her had sent him here saying there was a very strong possibility she was here. Her name was Noelle; red hair, average looking, average build. But, he would rather keep the finer details to himself while he searched for some clue as to her whereabouts. Thankfully, before he could elaborate, the bartender went to attend to someone else.

Nobody else spoke to him, though many looked at him out of the corner of their eye, and Kravitz could absolutely feel them saying with their eyes that they’d never seen him around before. No wonder he stood out though, on account of all of the flannel he saw. Nothing against these fine folks, but he was so completely and utterly out of his element and it was very obvious.

When he was done and his tab was closed, his watch read 10:06 and the streets were pretty much dead. Walking out of the bar, he was in time to see the lights in the diner across the street (neon and lighting up the sky just like he thought) flick off, and moments later Carey and the kid walked out. The door was locked, and they started walking in the opposite direction than he was going to go back to his room. Carey had his arm around the boy’s shoulders, small backpack slung over his own shoulder. That had been something he’d struggled to try and figure out, if they were related or if he was some random kid. Carey’s son? Brother? Whatever. Not his business, and he had other pressing matters to attend to first thing in the morning when the sun was supposed to show itself.

 

* * *

  

The first pressing matter as soon as the sun rose was breakfast after he’d taken care of showering and such. He headed to the diner, which, in the early morning, seemed less muted. There were a few more people there when he walked in, conversation flowing a little easier. A different person was manning the main counter where a good handful of people were sitting, but after he’d sat down, she came over to him with a mug and a pot of coffee in hand. However, taking one look at her name tag, he saw ‘Carey’ which was a touch confusing.

“Good morning, stranger. Coffee?”

“Please,” Kravitz was grateful for the mug, letting the liquid burn down his throat and drowning a groan when the question was asked.

“Haven’t seen you around before, what brings you here?”

“Business,” he immediately regretted it.

“With who? Not to be nosy, but we don’t get many suits up here.”

“Actually, I’m looking for someone who may have come through this town. Have you seen anyone else out of the ordinary lately? Young woman, red hair…”

Carey took a moment to think that over while Kravitz looked at the menu again, deciding on the same thing he’d had the previous day, “Can’t say I know anyone with red hair.”

“But, has anyone else come through town lately that you don’t recognize?”

“Now that you mention it, about three years back, the Millers moved here.”

“No, no, that wouldn’t be who I’m looking for. If it wasn’t within the past couple of months, then they wouldn’t be able to help.”

Before the conversation could go on he heard a distant clap that was unrelated to the same kid from the previous night rushing in the door, out of breath and with his backpack hanging off his shoulders. Carey excused herself and went over to him, though he could still just overhear them from his table.

“Angus, I knew I’d see you bright and early. Your homework is right next to the register. Now hurry up or you’ll be late.” So that was the kid’s real name.

Punctuated with some wheezing, Angus huffed out, “Thank… you…” He retrieved some sheets of paper before he was sent on his way, but not without a fond pat on the head from Carey.

Otherwise, breakfast was uneventful. Moreso, he had some thinking to do about where to possibly go from here. Maybe he was approaching this from the wrong angle by asking outright if someone had shown up in town recently. Maybe that was indicative of something a little more sinister going on. Or, maybe he had the wrong town and it was some other backwoods place full of people who all knew each other just as well and could tell him who the newcomer was and point him to her so he could go home. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy, there was a lot of ground left to cover.

If not asking who was new in town, the approach could very well be asking what had been strange in town, if there was any _thing_ out of status quo rather than any _one_. In a small place like this, no doubt the people would be able to squeeze something more useful out if he asked that.

The next logical place to ask about a missing person, or rather, strange things happening, had Kravitz walking toward the police station. It was a few minutes from the diner, but the walk allowed him to clear his head a bit and try and think of the best approach for whatever came next. Hopefully it was as easy as walking into the station, flashing his badge, and speaking to whoever was on duty. Small town like this, hopefully nothing would be pressing and he could get in and out.

How wrong could someone be? Kravitz loved finding out how wrong he could be, stepping into the station to watch an absolutely jacked deputy lead an equally jacked woman with the most insufferably redneck accent toward the back, the latter in handcuffs. “C’mon now, I swear I ain’t done nuthin’.”

“And we’ve got part of the wall of the _church_ blown open Cassidy, and I really doubt Merle did it. You were the last one around the church who has access to explosives,” the rest of their conversation faded out as they walked back to what was presumably a holding cell, but the information was extremely interesting to hear nonetheless. It would also explain what that sound had been earlier when he’d been ordering breakfast.

He was instantly out of place, however, and the woman at the counter raised an eyebrow at him. Before she could say she hadn’t seen him around here, he pulled out his badge and flashed it to her, asking, “Is the sheriff around?”

“He stepped out about half an hour ago, and I’m afraid I don’t know when he’ll be back, Mr. ..?”

“Kravitz. Do you know where he went?”

“I’m sure you heard, there was a bit of a mishap at the church with Cassidy, detective. Do you want to leave a message for him? Or if you wanted to go to the church, it’s just around the corner, not five minutes by foot.”

Kravitz contemplated leaving the message, but he figured that he would be better off going to the church. After getting some directions to it, Kravitz walked back toward where he’d come from, taking a right down the street he’d been told to. The church didn’t take too long to come into view, and sure enough, there was the car with the department seal on the side parked half on the curb. He’d been just on the verge of thinking this might be a wild goose chase, already feeling like he’d wasted enough time in the less than 24 hours he’d been in town. The entrance to the church was facing the street, but the length was most visible, and sure enough, there was a misshapen hole with some wreckage beneath it which would explain the noise he heard back at the diner. Next to it was a shorter man talking with the man he presumed to be the sheriff by how he was dressed. The shorter man had a beard and glasses, but he was also missing part of his right arm, sleeve pinned up halfway. He was clearly stressed out, and Kravitz assumed that he was Merle. The closer he got, he heard the name dropped in conversation, confirming that for him.

“What the hell am I supposed to do? You know Killian’s wedding is coming up in two days, I can’t have my church looking like _this_.”

“Merle, we’ll get it fixed. I’ll see if I can go snatch some lumber for you, and I’ll get one of the boys to come nail it up.”

“Nail it up? I want it looking like new!”

“It’s not gonna look new without you paying up front for it, and before you protest, Roswell has Cassidy in custody. We’ll figure out why she did it, and she’ll pay for the damages.”

By now, Kravitz was close enough for both of them to notice him. He raised his hand in greeting, pulling out his badge with his other hand for scrutiny, “I’d hate to interrupt, mates, but I’m looking for the sheriff. My name is Kravitz, and I was looking to talk to him.”

“Sheriff Isaac,” Kravitz put his badge away and shook the outstretched hand, his grip firm. “That would be me. What’s your business?”

“I’m in the middle of an investigation, bit of a sensitive matter that I’m looking to keep under wraps. I was hoping for a chat back at the station once this is wrapped up. Though, I just came from the station and overheard your deputy booking Cassidy?”

The sheriff was still visibly a bit wary, but no doubt the small town mentality of trust even in strangers came to Kravitz’s aid. “Cassidy is part of the crew who’s been working on blasting through the mountain, trying to create a tunnel to the town on the other side. It’d cut the trip down from six hours to half an hour. She’s got access to dynamite.”

“That snake was in the church last night, probably planning on how to knock the whole building down,” Merle mumbled, wiping at his forehead with a sigh, “Isaac, any chance you can go get Magnus? Boy owes me a buncha favors anyway, he’ll patch this up better than your boys, no offense.”

“None taken Merle, I’ll go pop on down to the diner see if he’s there.” Kravitz cleared his throat, and Isaac continued, “Mind if we take a ride? We can talk in the car, too.”

“That would be fine.”

“Sit tight Highchurch, I’ll have the boy here as soon as I find him,” and with that, Isaac nodded toward the car, Kravitz following and getting into the passenger seat, buckling up as they pulled away from the church, pulling a u-turn to go back down the way he’d originally come.

Kravitz figured he’d jump right into it. “I’m investigating a missing person that was reported to have headed up toward this area. I’m further down the Sword Coast, and of all places, here really did not make much sense. Her name is Noelle, young woman, average build, red hair. She’s been missing for months now.”

“What makes you think she’s here? Haven’t seen anyone by that description.”

“I asked around very briefly if anyone new had come into town, but nobody new has been seen. If I’m honest? The person who asked me to come here had insisted that she was here. I’m just doing my due diligence on this case.”

“Yeah,” Isaac turned the corner, driving down toward the diner, “I can appreciate wanting to look into any leads, but I haven’t seen anyone like that around. Plus, nobody new’s been in town since the Millers moved a few years back.”

The consensus, of course, being that he was probably wasting his time, but he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, gripping his insides weakly. “I gathered as much. More importantly, has anything strange been going on in town lately?”

“Strange? Not that I’ve heard. Though, you’ve popped in at an interesting time. This is probably the weirdest thing that’s happened in a long time, and the first real crime in a couple years. Everyone knows everyone here, and there’s definitely no reason for what Cassidy did other than maybe stupidity. Strangest thing about it is that it’s _Cassidy_ , sure she’s been too close to a buncha blasts and can’t hear too good anymore, but she only explodes mountain rock, and anything that needs explodin’.”

“Can you think of anything else that’s been strange lately? Even little things.”

Isaac was quick in answering dismissively, “Not particularly. Back to you and that Noelle girl, I’m gonna go ahead and say she’s not here. I’ll let you look around town for a bit, and if you talk to anyone, that’s fine, but I won’t have you lurkin’ around and stalkin’ people, got it?”

“Absolutely, I’m not looking to harass anyone. Just trying to make sense of why I was sent here of all places,” Kravitz sounded just as agreeable, but the longer they talked, the more his intuition was telling him there was something off about this. Were he anyone else who hadn’t seen as much shit as he had, the apprehension slithering around in his guts would push him away and back out of this town the way he’d came. He wasn’t a lesser man, however, and something about the straight face staring ahead at the road was terribly off putting.

“Alright, we’re here. Been in here yet?”

It was more than clear he was fishing for a compliment for the place, which he was more than happy to provide, “Yes. The food is decent, I’d say.”

Isaac nodded at him and told him to wait a moment. Kravitz took that time to crack open the glove box (honestly, if the glove box of the police car was unlocked, clearly there was way too much trust in this town) to search around in it. Nothing suspicious, a couple of napkins, a flashlight, screwdriver. Closed just as soon as it was opened, Kravitz was unimpressed, and he was tempted to go back to his motel since it was just around the corner, but, Isaac walked out of the diner just moments after the thought. He got back into the car and started it back up with, “Boy’s at home. Mind coming with me to his house?”

“Oh, sure. But to pick up where we left off, can you tell me a bit about this place? I’ve never heard of it until now, but the welcome sign boasts two hundred years of history.”

“Balance Valley? Started off as a mining town during the diamond rush, but the mines dried up real quick. A lot of people moved away over the years. Others had families die out here. Some families can be traced back to the start. Not really much to say about it now though, I guess the logging industry keeps us alive. ‘Bout ten years ago, a buncha people moved into town and revived it. Anything specifically you wanna know?”

“That’s sufficient,” and a whole lot of nothing, except for that last part was a little interesting. “Well, I know the Millers are the most recent, but when you say a bunch of people moved in a decade ago,” he trailed off, hoping Isaac would pick up.

“Well, like for instance, the guy we’re gonna go wake up. Magnus and his late wife moved into town around the time Merle took up in the church. Some others, too, but nothing and no-one too exciting.”

This conversation was a dead end, Kravitz had no doubt. He kind of felt like he was running in circles trying to find a starting point, but there had to be more to this. Thankfully, he was spared from asking anything else when they pulled up to a small house. “Should I wait in the car for this too?”

“This might take a while depending on which of them answers,” the questioning glance was enough for him to elaborate, “Remember how I said late wife? Magnus holed up with Taako and the kid. Not sure if it's his kid–to be honest, not sure what goes on ‘round here, don't really care either,” they had both walked up the steps to the porch, up to the door, Isaac knocking loudly on it.

It took a minute, but Kravitz heard shuffling around inside while he pondered briefly on the information he just heard. Of course though, the muffled voice that came from inside had him raising his eyebrow as it said, “Who is it?”

“Isaac, open up,” and to him was mumbled, “Don't mind Taako, he's… eccentric.”

“Don't think I can't hear you talking about me, my guy,” and as the door opened, Kravitz would deny to hell that his throat felt a bit parched seeing the man from the diner in just an oversized T-shirt that fell to mid-thigh, the collar cut off and making one side fall off his shoulder. No pants. Socks. Of course, sporting bed head. “What'd Aang do this time?”

“Besides get good grades? We're not here for him.”

Kravitz knew his name now to be Taako, and their eyes met as Kravitz dragged his gaze back up from where they'd been glued to his legs. Taako considered him with a look in his eyes that he wasn’t going to place for the time being, shifting his weight to rest against the frame of the door. “Good, because boy detective went to school. But if you're here for me you're shit out of luck, Maury is coming on. And if you're here for Magnus, he's in the shower.”

“Don’t worry Taako, I’m not dragging you out anywhere. I need Magnus because Cassidy blew a hole in the church, and Merle’s looking to get that plugged up and looking good in time for Killian’s wedding.”

That etched surprise into him visibly, “No shit! Seriously? I knew Cassidy’s got some boulders knockin’ around upstairs but she really did that?”

“She’s down at the station, Roswell is questioning her as we speak, and I’m gonna go get to the bottom of it.”

The wind kicked up for a moment while Taako looked back at him, studying his face for a moment while he said, “Great, listen, it’s fuckin’ cold out here, so if you boners wanna wait for Mango, might as well come inside,” he stepped aside and let them in, Isaac going first and Kravitz following just after. “I didn’t catch your name, compadre.”

The door closed behind them as Isaac went further into the house, and Kravitz turned to look at Taako fully. He had one eyebrow raised, now leaning back against the door and craning his neck to meet his gaze. Sticking his hand out, he said, “Kravitz. Last night your name tag was Carey, but I have a feeling that’s not your name.”

Taako gave him a surprisingly firm handshake as he said, “Oh wow, you’re a cold one my dude! Name’s Taako.”

“I have poor circulation,” which wasn’t untrue, but it pulled a smirk onto the other’s face.

“Didn’t know your business was with the sheriff, Krav–I hope it’s not too early for nicknames, handsome,” another wink at his expense had Kravitz feeling just a touch flustered, definitely awkward. At least he hadn’t been imagining that Taako was flirting with him the previous night. He watched Taako walk away, though walking was a loose explanation of the sashay he was witness to. Kravitz joined Isaac in the kitchen while Taako went elsewhere, banging on presumably the bathroom door. “Hey Mag, hurry the fuck up! There’s people here for ya.”

This whole scenario was strange, a bit surreal, even. What was he doing here again? Honestly, he wasn’t sure, but this was fascinating enough as it was, what with Taako’s bare legs staring him in the face while Isaac obliviously continued telling him about what happened. Taako was laying on the smouldering look thick enough to make him feel just the barest bit flustered and uncomfortable, glad that his dark skin wouldn’t really show whether or not he was flushed. He sure felt like his face was heating up, though maybe it had been the cool temperature outside conflicting with the warmth inside. Sure, that was a sound theory.

Eventually though, the man he assumed to be Magnus joined them, fully dressed and sporting the most impressive pair of sideburns he’d ever seen on a man before. A few deep, gnarly scars on his face, looking at him curiously but otherwise seeming especially friendly. He nodded at the sheriff in greeting, “Isaac, and..?”

“Kravitz,” holding out his hand. Magnus gave an incredibly firm handshake while he continued, “I have no business with you, actually, but I happen to be along for the ride.”

“Yeah,” Isaac sighed. “Merle’s calling in a favor with you–”

Taako interrupted, “To make a long story short, Cassidy blew up the church–”

“WHAT,” Magnus incredulously yelled, hand going to his forehead while his eyes bugged out of his head.

“Relax, man. I mean like, I guess it was a little hole or something.”

“ _Anyway_ , it’s not a big hole, but he wants it patched up and he knows you’re gonna do a good job.”

“Why would she do that? She had to know Killian’s wedding is coming up. Shit, uh, lemme go grab some tools and then I’ll go take a look. Mind bringing me to the lumber yard once I get measurements?” Magnus was already mentally making plans, and Kravitz was incredibly aware of how out of place he was in this whole situation. He could recognize that suffering through this entire ordeal was not something he wanted to do right now. Though, it was apparent that Killian was well loved and respected amongst the people in the town.

“I don’t want to intrude on this excursion any longer than necessary, but I have some other matters to attend to, so I will be taking my leave. Thank you Isaac for having that chat with me. If I need to speak to you again, I’m sure I’ll be able to find you.”

“No problem. If you can’t find me, leave a note at the station and someone will get it to me.”

Magnus and Isaac left out the back door of the house as Kravitz made to walk toward the front, but he heard, “Not so fast, chap. Care to stay for some coffee?”

“Um,” clearing his throat, he managed, “I am quite busy, maybe another time?”

Taako had a hand on his hip, not-so-subtly bunching his shirt up even higher on his thighs, which his eyes were quite attracted to, “Sure about that?”

He wasn’t _completely_ ignorant of what he was being offered right now, but this was a situation he didn’t want to really be in. Especially when there was just far too much that felt off about these circumstances. Not to say he wasn't incredibly into this, he absolutely was, but there was just way too much to do. “Of course, I don’t want to keep you from the rest of your morning. Or Maury.”

“Hm, well, if you change your mind, drop by later before we close,” Taako said with another one of those winks that were hard to ignore. It did take him a second to figure out he meant the diner, but Kravitz nodded and made his leave before he could make a jackass out of himself.

 

* * *

 

After he had made his leave, Kravitz had gone back to the motel to retrieve his car and to take a look at the map to figure out where his next starting point would be. There were a few places he wanted to check out while he still had daylight on his side, especially with the sun bright and shining, despite the warmth not quite reaching him. The more time ticked on, the more frustrated he was that he hadn’t gathered any information whatsoever despite how much running around he’d done. At least he had the sheriff’s blessing behind him on doing a general search around the town, along with some light questioning. That would definitely be useful.

Or so he thought as he drove around town, going down toward the construction site that was oddly empty for a Thursday just before it reached mid-day. Kravitz also ventured to the rather large lake on the edge of town to do a once over, but nothing seemed amiss besides the feeling of hair standing on the back of his neck. It was the same feeling that he got from the rest of the town, but truly, he dismissed this as a symptom of watching one too many horror movies that began at lakes and the dumb people who persisted in staying even when things started going wrong.

That was how the rest of the day went, just scoping the place out and marking down notes in his tiny detective notebook.

When the sun began to fall, that was when he saw more people out and about, probably fresh out of work and other daily obligations. They all seemed normal enough, but of course they would seem normal in their own town. It was hard not feeling disappointed and like his attempts to look around for anything that stood out had been thwarted. Truly, this town was unremarkable at best. Still creepy, but even his gut feeling that there was something weird going on, it wasn’t making him as anxious to leave. It was almost as if a haze of acceptance was settling over him.

Still, he found himself going back to the diner that night because, well, of course he was. What else was there to do? He didn’t want to go snooping around after dark, and besides, he was currently here for at least the next two days, and he could always extend his stay if he found anything interesting or any clues at all.

Again, the kid was there, but this time he was reading a book while nursing a large glass of chocolate milk. Taako was there once again, of course, and he was visibly delighted to see him. As he walked toward a booth in the back, Taako called out to him, “Hey Krav, come sit at the counter with us?”

Why not? “Alright,” so, he walked to the counter and sat down, a seat between him and the kid. Taako placed the menu down in front of him again, but he was more interested in the name tag that read Boyland. He raised his eyebrow and said, “Boy-land,” spacing it out and forming it as a question, “I met Carey this morning, charming lady. Steal name tags often?”

“Nobody needs to know my fuckin’ name, sugar.”

“I’m sure everyone knows your name already, love,” Kravitz winced at himself, reminding himself there was a kid right next to them, and that now wasn't the time to be charming and use his accent to his advantage. “I assume Boy-land is someone who works here as well?”

“Fuck if I know who that guy is, the tag is just kinda always been here, man,” his fingers played with the dingy, laminated clip tag, but he dropped that in favor of leaning on the counter in front of him.

“And you're not worried someone will use yours?”

“Eh, I lost it.”

“Actually, sir, he threw it out,” the boy next to him said, finally lifting his head up from the book he was reading. A black, curly mop of hair topped his head, skin almost as dark as Krativz’s own but with a brilliant smattering of freckles across his nose and his upper cheeks, topped off with round, circular glasses perched on his nose. Kravitz wasn't really a fan of kids, but this kid was cute as a button. Unfortunately, Angus saying that got him in a bit of trouble; Taako flicked him in the center of his forehead.

“Listen up Angie, one more smart word out of your mouth and you're gonna walk home.”

“But we already _do_ …”

“See, there you go again, being smart,” Taako had a smile he was clearly trying to bite back just barely make it into his face.

“I don't believe we've met yet formally, my name is Kravitz,” and he held his hand out to the kid, who enthusiastically reached to shake it, visibly delighted that he was being taken seriously.

“Hello sir, my name is Angus. Angus McDonald, boy detective! I'm the best detective in the world!”

“Are you really! Angus, it's an honor to meet a colleague,” Kravitz took his badge out of his pocket and flashed it to him. Angus looked a bit star struck. “I'm sure we have many methods to discuss about how we work.”

“You bet!”

“Right, before you nerds talk about that, Krav, what do you wanna eat?”

Of course, food was important, and his stomach felt tight with hunger as it was. After that was taken care of, Taako winked at him and mouthed, ‘Thank you,’ while he walked into the kitchen to give Magnus the order himself. Speaking of which, he wondered how the repair on the church was going, hopefully it was done in time for the wedding. A thought that made him pause, wondering when he'd gotten so caught up in the town gossip. More importantly, though, Angus was telling him about all of his detective work he'd done recently, and truly he seemed to be a very intelligent boy.

“What about you? Are you here investigating something?”

Actually, this might have been the most perfect opportunity to do some more underhanded snooping, “Angus, I'll let you in on a secret,” for dramatic effect, he looked around, but also actually for real to make sure nobody was around to listen, “I'm investigating a missing person. She's a little older than you, but still young. Red hair. The tip I got down at my office said she headed north, and that your town was a likely place she ended up,” he could almost see the gears turning in the boy’s head. “Everyone I spoke to today said nobody new has come to town in years, but what I want to know is if you can help give me a bit of perspective.”

The look on Angus’ face was absolutely precious; at full attention, almost on the edge of his seat and eager to help. He was trying so hard to play it cool and not sound too excited once he'd had a moment to compose himself, clearing his throat before he said, “Certainly, I hope I can help.”

“Has anything _weird_ been going on? Anything at all that just doesn't seem right, or something that started happening that doesn't sit right with you. I've got no leads, and I'm unfamiliar with everyone here. I don't know if they are trying to sabotage my investigation to keep from uncovering something big, or if they really don't know a single thing. You'd be helping me out quite a bit, Angus.”

“Hm, anything weird…” Angus considered that for a few moments, looking like a true kid detective, making a loose fist and bringing it up to his chin. “I'll keep my eye out for anything suspicious, sir.”

“Please, Kravitz is fine between co-workers, no need to be formal.”

“Ah, y-yeah,” the kid was eating up this attention, and for once around a child, Kravitz didn't feel so uncomfortable after getting into conversation with him. “Well, I'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious s-Kravitz. But I know how it is around here, when you're on the tail of a mystery and nobody wants to cooperate when you know something is going on. Like at the lake.”

“The lake?” He'd just been there, the seemingly inconspicuous lake held the normal amounts of creepy vibes, no more, no less.

“Yeah. Lake Void is about ten minutes from the lumber yard. Everyone swears it's just a normal lake, but one time when I was there I… Nah, it's stupid,” he paused, thinking better of himself it seemed like, and he had to wonder just how many times an adult had told him he was speaking nonsense.

“I want to hear what you were going to say, Angus. Any detail about _anything_ could help me right now,” he said in earnest, and maybe asking him to elaborate would give him a much needed confidence boost.

He perked back up, toothy smile taking hold back on his face for a moment before that doubt crept back up. “Well, I mean it kinda does sound stupid, but one time when I was there, I thought I saw some lights under the surface, deep toward the bottom of the lake. It was around sunset, and me ‘n Taako went for a walk. He told me it was the sunset on the water, but I _know_ what I saw.”

Maybe he'd have to go take another look, even if Angus’ eyes had been playing tricks on him that one time. For now though, “I believe you, Angus, and I should go check this lake out tomorrow morning, it sounds like. Maybe I'll find something there.”

“I'd offer to go help you, but I've got school tomorrow,” Angus had a genuine sad tone to his voice, and despite how weird it would be for a full grown man to hang out with a kid while they were ditching school, there was a part of Kravitz that could feel in his bones that because he didn't know this town well enough, having an impassioned set of eyes that knew what they were looking for sounded like an excellent idea.

“Damn right you have school tomorrow, bubbeleh. I leave for ten minutes and you're planning on making my straight A boy detective play hookie?” Taako came back from the kitchen with his order, sticking it down in front of him. “I mean, I'm all for it, but I'm not about to let some stranger take my kid out for a detective’s joy ride without A) coming along, and B) without knowing about these plans 24 hours in advance so I can prepare better for it. Shoulda brought this shit up last night, my man.”

Angus gave another wide-eyed, curious look toward Taako that Kravitz was starting to associate with his boyish charm. Then he looked back at him, and Kravitz sighed quietly, “I was doing no such thing, but, if the young detective here wanted to join me, and if his parent wants to accompany me, who am I to say no?” It wouldn't hurt, and truly, this was a blessing in disguise. “Are you sure it's alright for Angus to miss school?”

“Whaddaya think pumpkin, because I think you have a sore throat, and I need to take the day off to look after you,” Taako mussed up Angus’ hair as the boy tried to avoid it, but he fixed him with a stare and said, “Krav, wanna come back with us tonight?”

To say he was surprised would be an understatement, already feeling like this was moving way too fast. Yes, he would love to shack up with Taako, because to be honest it had been a while since he'd last gotten laid, but there was a lot going on that would make this more than just a one night hookup. Not to mention, going back with him and his _kid_ , that was stepping closer to some real involvement. Not what he signed up for, but if a kid was going to be the one to help him with this case, as much as he didn't want to admit it, he would take it. Kravitz was absolutely apprehensive about the instinctive feeling that he was getting in way too deep.

He must have been quiet for a beat too long, because Taako followed up with, “You don't have to, but I figured it'd make things easier if you were already around so we could get an early start.”

“Right, I was thinking about it since I do have my room just around the corner, would hate for a night to go to waste.”

“Could I spice up the deal any? I'll _personally_ make breakfast,” Taako wiggled his eyebrows at him, “If you're still hungry later, maybe a midnight snack,” he added, practically purring it out. He wasn't even trying to be subtle. Luckily, Angus seemed to have his eyes trained on him waiting for his response.

“How can I deny that? I'm a man that loves... snacks. Suppose I'll have to go get a change of clothes before we go, then.”

Angus tried so hard to contain his excitement, it was very apparent, but the kid had a mile long smile etched onto his face. Kravitz then tried to eat as fast as he could while also retaining his manners, setting aside his investigation for the moment so he could train his eyes on Taako. Now that the circumstances were changing, he allowed himself to really process that he was possibly one of the most gorgeous people he'd come across.

Incredibly pretty, so much so that the name tag thing had confused him the previous night if only for his purposely androgynous presentation. He had a medium skin tone that suited him perfectly, with brown hair framing his face also perfectly in the front while the rest was tied up with the rest flowing down to his shoulders even while tamed. His body too was incredibly enticing–Taako looked incredibly soft with curves and chub that he wanted to put his hands on. Specifically, his thick thighs that he'd gotten the most torturous look of earlier on in the day when he had been at his house.

When he was finished, Taako took the plate and said, “Just gonna wash this bad boy, then we’re gonna close up ‘cause nobody’s fuckin’ here anyway. You all done with that kiddo?” The last bit directed at Angus, who nodded, sticking his tongue out a bit with a ‘bleh’ noise.

“It’s warm now.”

“Fair enough Ango, wouldn’t wanna drink that shit warm either,” Taako said as he scooped up the glass and walked into the back.

The two of them had an interesting relationship from what Kravitz saw. The words of the sheriff came back to mind about how he wasn’t sure whether or not Angus was actually his kid, and he wanted to find out more about that. They looked nothing alike, and Taako seemed to be a tad bit young to have a ten year old child. Not that it was truly his business, but curiosity and his current involvement had him justifying the need to know. He would ask Taako later about that.

For now, “Angus, can I ask you more about what you saw?”

“At the lake?”

“Yeah. You said you saw these lights toward the bottom of the lake, if I’m remembering correctly.”

“Um, yeah, they were toward the bottom. The light on top of the water was super bright and sparkling, so I know it wasn’t that. The lake is about a hundred feet deep toward the center, and based on how far the lights were from the shore, it really was _that_ deep,” Angus brought his hand up and made a loose fist, thumbnail resting against his lip as he recalled the details. Kravitz, though, was blown away by just how smart this kid was.

“It sounds like you did a lot of research, very impressive.”

“Thank you! I love research, that’s why everyone calls me the boy detective! There’s always an explanation for everything, but those lights are still stumping me,” Angus sighed heavily, “But like I said, nobody believes me… I went to the library and looked through the microfilm trying to find out more about the lake ‘cause weird things were happening around there, but nobody could say _what_ it was. I didn’t find anything in the archive, but when I talked to people they all said they didn’t know, or their memories were fuzzy. So they dismissed it. Those lights though… they were dim because of the distortion from being so far below the surface and because the lake bed is dark. So, there was a clear difference between the two sources of light.”

To say he was impressed would be a tragic understatement, Kravitz was blown away by this kid. “Angus, I must say, you have a powerful mind to have been able to gather that much without any help. I’m truly in your debt,” he wasn’t even being just strictly nice anymore, this was giving him a reference point for whatever weird events were happening behind the curtain of this town.

“Sir–ah, Kravitz, you don’t have to be nice just ‘cause I’m a kid,” the poor boy sounded very used to being dismissed, and he could hear the doubt creeping into his tone. Angus wasn’t stupid by any means, he probably could tell toward the beginning of their conversation that he was being nice to him in the way adults feign interest in whatever children get up to, but having a conversation with him nipped that attitude in the bud, and he truly was feeling grateful.

“Believe me when I say I feel like I’ve wasted the past day and a half of my time trying to find out _anything_ that I could, and I’ve come up short everywhere I looked and with everyone I talked to. I’m not sure why, but I feel like maybe what you saw is connected to my investigation. I really, truly appreciate all of the information you’ve shared with me, and you’ve sped up my investigation and given me something to focus on instead of running around with no idea where I’m going,” Kravitz hoped he was sounding as sincere as he felt, and by the looks of it, if he dropped any more praise on the poor kid he might explode.

“Y’know Krav, if you pump up that ego of his any more he’s gonna pop like a balloon. Look at that smile!” Taako came back out of the kitchen with Magnus in tow, lights getting turned off as they went and both of them in jackets. “Agnes, c’mon,” coming out from behind the counter and holding the jacket up so he could put his arms in.

Magnus nodded at him, “Kravitz.”

Kravitz had gotten up to group up with them, but he reached to shake Magnus’ offered hand, “I know we had a rushed introduction earlier, and I’m an interloper in this town, so I will be upfront with you. I’m investigating a missing person case, and my investigation has led me to your town. Though, my curiosity is asking how the repair on the church is going.”

“Oh, yeah, that. It’s an easy enough fix, the explosive wasn’t that powerful, but I did have to cut the hole a little bigger to allow me to plug it up. I did the measurements and I went and got the materials for it, gonna put it all together tomorrow.”

“Right, cool, now if we’re done chatting I’m tired, and I believe Krav was going to drive us home,” a statement, not a question.

Raising his eyebrow, he asked, “Oh, did I?”

“Except for you Ango, remember when I said you’d walk home for your smart mouth?”

“What?! I don’t wanna walk alone,” he seemed genuinely panicked, looking at Kravitz with those wide eyes that definitely tugged on his heart even though he knew (hoped?) Taako was joking.

“It’s a good thing that it’s _my_ car, and I decide who rides in it. Angus, Magnus,” a mouthful that if asked to say five times fast, he would trip up on, “I hope you’re ready to go.”

“You better _not_ ,” Taako said sounding indignant, and Magnus laughed at the slightly sour look on on his face, clapping him on the back.

“Taako, I like this guy, he doesn't take your shit.”

“And what's that supposed to mean,” he asked even as he hooked his arm with Kravitz’s, walking him toward the exit. He felt like there was a joke he definitely wasn't in on happening around him.

Still, he loaded everyone into the car for the short drive back to the motel so he could pick up a change of clothing. Once that was done, it was a very short drive to their house; the walk from the diner itself was about fifteen minute five or take. In the back seat sat Angus, all buckled up and with his book neatly in his lap, and Magnus was on the opposite side, asking him more about the missing person, which Kravitz obliged in telling him. He didn't have any new information for Kravitz or insight, just a low whistle and a ‘good luck with that bro’ thrown at him.

Which was fine. What was also fine was there in the front seat that was thankfully the full bench style instead of split so the front console could be seen, Taako’s hand was on the seat next to his thigh, scratching at the fabric of his slacks with his bright yellow nails. It was definitely distracting, but he still kept up his conversation with Magnus about his investigation, going a little bit into his career as a detective. Nothing too specific, just where he worked, how long he was doing it. A short conversation done when he pulled up to the quaint little house he was seeing for the second time that night.

Now, to survive until morning.

 

* * *

 

Rather than surviving until morning, Kravitz was determined to survive the night. They had shipped Angus off to bed even though the poor kid was so excited about their upcoming day that he insisted he wasn’t sleepy (he absolutely was). Magnus had gone soon after asking them to keep it quiet which was embarrassing enough, but Taako said after him, “You got it, chief.”

Which left them alone in the living room where the lot of them had been watching some reruns on the television. That only lasted so long until Taako was sliding up next to him where he sat on the rather comfortable couch, and Kravitz looked at him and said, “I almost feel like I don’t have a choice in this if we’re being egged on by your housemate.”

“Would you rather we don’t?” For the first time, and maybe it was because for all intents and purposes they were alone now, Taako sounded unsure. “I don’t wanna like… misread this, and force you into shit you don’t want. But I’m super into you, my man, and I’d love to jump your bones. Like. Yesterday. Like, only if you want that though, I’ll back off if you don’t.”

Still, he inched away, looking embarrassed, unsure. Honestly, there was a lot to consider here besides the possibility of getting laid. What about after? When he was done here, case solved, and headed back home? All things he didn’t want to think about, caution being thrown to the wind as he reached out and cupped Taako’s cheek. “I wouldn’t have come home with you tonight if I wasn’t into you, too.” His skin was incredibly warm while his own he knew was quite cold, as evidenced by the slight shiver that went through Taako. He could also feel his pulse racing once he really concentrated and let the rest of the background noise fade away, really looking into his eyes.

There was a moment where he thought Taako was going to make the first move, as cocksure and flirty as he had been, but Kravitz was the one that closed the gap between them, his lips touching to incredibly soft ones. Something stirred in him that he wasn’t going to analyze; he was more concerned with the arms winding around his neck and how Taako came to settle in his lap. Yeah, this was pretty good, especially when he let his hand fall so both could grab onto his waist.

Taako separated from him for a moment, his eyes closed and pressing his forehead to Kravitz’s, breathing out, “Be careful stud, I’m a lil’ ticklish.”

“I’m making no promises, that’s cute.”

“I’ll rip your cold hands off,” he said with his eyes opening, pulling further away but still sitting in his lap. “By the way, if you’re wondering, Magnus has this knack for fuckin’ _knowing_ when I wanna fuck someone. He’s a nosy piece of shit and I hate when he’s right. Back at the diner he called me fuckin’ out on it when he saw you through the kitchen window. Plus, you’re like, _super_ goddamn good with my boy Ango.”

Kravitz let his arms settle around Taako’s waist, considering that for a moment, “I’m normally abhorrent with children.”

“To be fair, children are theeee _woooorst_ ,” stretching out his words for emphasis, but he continued, “Except for Angus. He’s the best kid out there, and I’m not saying that because I’m biased. Kids are little shits.”

“Yes,” Kravitz couldn’t help laughing quietly, “They are. There’s something not-shitty about your son though…”

He’d trailed off, and Taako picked up with, “Oh, he’s not my _son_ , but uh, I’ll explain that like. Later. I’d rather like… suck your dick. If you're, uh, cool with that.”

“As it so happens, I am ‘cool’ with that,” Taako leaned in for another kiss, cutting him off. Not that he had more to say, he definitely wanted to focus on the warmth between them, of the feeling of lips pressing harder against his. Still chaste for the moment, Kravitz grabbed hold of his hips again and pulled their bodies closer together. That got a soft noise from Taako that went straight through him. Maybe it _had_ been so long that he was getting riled up super easily, or maybe because he was finally letting himself drop his facade just long enough to indulge in mutual passion.

Either way, Taako was the one to grope him through his slacks so unexpectedly that he actually gasped against his mouth, allowing for their tongues to meet. Apparently that's all it took to switch him into what felt suspiciously like awkward teenage highschool makeout mode. Kravitz was incredibly aware of how easily he was turning to putty, but it was hard not to with Taako slowly jerking him off against his own thigh through his slacks while their mouths were connected. Every sigh, every little noise dragged from him only spurred Taako on, but as much as he was loving this, they were in the middle of the living room where they could potentially scar young eyes. Not to mention he was in terrible need of putting his hands all over Taako, preferably while horizontal.

Taako apparently felt the urgency to move this elsewhere too, making a move to get up and grabbing Kravitz’s hand to drag him along with him as they went toward presumably his bedroom. As soon as the door was shut, Kravitz didn't bother taking in what the room itself looked like, choosing instead to back this guy up against the door to kiss him hard. He had to bend down a bit to make it easier to accommodate Taako’s height difference, one arm going above his head to rest against the wood while his other hand sneaked around to his lower back. Maybe hormonal teenager was an understatement, maybe it had been so long since he'd gotten laid, but Kravitz could feel fire racing through his veins. He'd never particularly hated kissing before, having kissed his fair share of people, but something about this one was so thoroughly satisfying on a carnal level. Each noise shared between them spurred him on, even his own hopeless, throaty moans as his mouth dropped to Taako’s jaw.

His suit jacket lapels were grabbed tight and tugged on before Taako was pushing the fabric away, up on his shoulders and trying to get it off. Kravitz was more than happy to drop his arms to help with that, which made the other chuckle quietly as he said, “This? I fuckin’ love this suit shit, do you know how hot this is?”

“I don't, tell me again.”

“I wanted to jump on your dick immediately as soon as I saw you, darling. Nobody in this town knows how to dress.” Kravitz laughed against his throat, prompting him to continue, “I know you've been here like a day, sweetheart, but don't tell me you haven't noticed!”

“And if I haven't?”

“Does it matter?”

No, not really. Especially with warmth spreading through him, threatening to consume him. He spared a moment to bend down to pick up his jacket to hang it on the corner of a dresser drawer that was sticking out so it didn't wrinkle. Taako reached for him in the meantime and got on his toes to kiss him, wrapping his arms around his neck to pull him down more to his level. Passionate, full of need, and Kravitz wrapped his arms around his waist as he was lightly pushed toward the bed, the backs of his knees hitting the mattress. It was a lot easier for Taako to meet his lips as he sat down and spread his legs to tug him in against him. He scooted up the bed a bit as Taako put one knee up between his legs, followed by another on the other side of one, and Kravitz leaned so his back was to the spread with the other becoming a comfortable weight atop him.

Taako bit down on his lip, making him draw a sharp breath in and sending a jolt of desire through him. Meanwhile, slightly shaking fingers were scrabbling at the buttons on his shirt, and Kravitz felt just as frantic to get the layers between them off. He ended up with his hands bunched in the back of Taako’s shirt, dragging it up over his shoulders so he could tug of off, grateful when he helped him by positioning his arms so it could slide off easier. The garment ended up on the floor along with his own button up once they struggled it off. With that done, they were free to grab at one another without slowing down on trying to devour each other, kisses getting more heated the more turned on Kravitz was getting.

Eventually, his pants came off thanks to Taako almost forcefully tugging them off, and he was making good on his desire to suck his dick, mouthing at him through his briefs and shoving his face directly against his length. It was almost embarrassing how hard he was with just that attention, and with the breathy, quiet moans Taako made against the fabric.

When his briefs finally came down his thighs, he helped to kick them off, but Taako whistled low and said, “Wuoh, you’re a big fella, aren’tcha? God _damn_.”

Kravitz really couldn’t keep the smirk off his face if he tried, so it was a good thing he didn’t. “Is that a good thing?”

“Honey, I’m not sure if it’s too early to say I’m in love with your schlong, but I’m gonna put a fuckin’ ring on it.”

He raised an eyebrow and said, “Kinky.”

All Kravitz got in response was a wink before his tongue was pressed flat against the tip while making deliberate eye contact with him. It was broken quickly as Taako got to work, sucking the head into his mouth and starting to work one hand on the rest while the other took hold of his balls, rolling the weight of them around in his palm. Spreading his legs to give him more room, Kravitz watched on almost helplessly, threading his fingers into Taako’s hair and getting a bit lost in just how good it felt. If anyone had asked him how this day was going to go, this wasn’t the way Kravitz would have ever imagined it would end up. From start to finish, this had been one wild ride. A ride that had him almost blowing his load when he felt Taako drag his tongue around his foreskin.

As Taako pulled up to breathe, he didn’t let him go back down, instead tugging him up to kiss him hard, humming appreciatively at his own taste on his tongue. He still had leggings on, and Kravitz creeped his hands underneath to push them off, thumbs catching on satin as he did so. He didn’t even give Taako time to kick his clothing off as he spit saliva into his palm and reached down to take them both into his hand, jerking them off together. Taako caught his mouth with a whine caught in his throat, pushing out awkwardly as he kissed Kravitz, biting at his bottom lip again and his hands pushing into his hair.

Really, it didn’t take long for Taako to cum against his fingers and onto his stomach with moaned out expletives, but to be fair, it didn’t take too long for him after that. Taako laid against him, a bit sweaty and panting, and Kravitz felt a little boneless as well. Still, Taako was the one to get up to get something to clean them off with before they got under the covers and lazily kissed until sleep tugged at them.

For once, it was pleasant to fall asleep next to someone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is getting posted mostly edited, but I just don't have time to do a deep read through right now because I have so much other stuff to do (but I'm gonna go back and edit more later but if you see anything catastrophic please tell me!!). also I found the theme song to this entire fic and it's [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZV_ijKaPN8). and as always i owe my life to [my friend](archiveofourown.org/users/tangobullets) for yelling at me always. also literally thank you so much everyone for the overwhelmingly positive response so far and I'm super glad everyone is enjoying this!!! ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶

The first thing Kravitz noticed as he stirred was that he was warm, but not unpleasantly so. Inside and out he felt fuzzy, relaxed, and very unusually so. It took him an extended moment to figure out he wasn’t alone in bed, that there was someone snug up against his side. Laying on his stomach with one arm trapped at his side between him and the other body in the bed and other arm under the pillow, he couldn’t see much for the lack of light in the room, but it didn’t take long for it to come back to him. He was in Taako’s bed, whom had an arm across his back and was breathing evenly, quietly. How long had it been since he had even been close to someone this intimately? His dating history had more one night stands than anything else, even if it sounded like a cliche that he was too absorbed in his work to care much about other people.

This was nice, though, waking up just before what was probably sunrise. Always an early riser, he was content to lay in comfort with a soft blanket on him, having slept on comfortable sheets, with a cute guy asleep almost on him. He had no grand delusions of anything coming from this, quite the opposite, he imagined that this case would not stretch on much longer, though he did wonder if they would find the time to fuck around a little bit more. Kravitz understood that when this job was done, he would leave. They lived two entirely separate lives that would not intersect likely ever again, but that didn’t stop a bit of a sad chord within him from getting plucked. Truly, Taako was easily one of the easiest people he’d ever been around, even if this had been a matter of _hours_ he’d collectively been around him, more of them spent sleeping than anything, he was willing to bet. He would remember him and this fucked up town perhaps fondly?

Thoughts to tuck away for later when he was alone; Taako stirred and put an end to that train of thought, mumbling and shifting closer to him. Kravitz heard him take a deep breath, sleep broken, and he could almost feel the confused hesitance in Taako as he probably went through the same awareness cycle he did of realizing where he was and who he was with. Sure enough, he relaxed a few seconds later, curling closer to Kravitz. The silence was comfortable when it should have, by all rights, been awkward. Between them there was enough warmth to lull him back toward sleep, though he didn’t make it back there with Taako shifting once more.

Kravitz wished he’d been prepared for the coldest feet he’d ever had to suffer feeling in his life pushing under his calves, the temperature shocking him awake and making him jump, even. Taako piped up with, “Sorry.”

“Are you really?”

“Caught me, I’m not,” mumbled into his shoulder.

“Were they outside of the quilt all night?” Kravitz finally turned onto his side, coming to rest more face-to-face with Taako as the latter’s arm slipped from his back.

“Fuck if I know, man,” Taako shoved his feet higher up, now under his knees where it was more warm than where his frigid, horrible feet had made his skin lukewarm after only a few _seconds_. “What time is it?”

“Early,” Kravitz said as Taako shoved his face into his chest.

“Too early, I feel like I’m still dreaming,” Taako murmured, almost delicately sliding his arm back around his middle, “This is super nice, Krav, I'm usually too warm and you're suckin’ away all my heat, I'm _loving_ this.”

“I was under the impression that this was the other way around, Taako,” to prove his point, he shifted his legs away from the cold intrusion, finally not feeling completely iced out as Taako’s skin warmed up.

“I mean like, usually I wake up _so_ dehydrated, and I gotta down six glasses of water ‘cause I feel like a damn desert has kicked a sandstorm up in my throat. First time in a long time I don't feel like I'm dying, literally.” Kravitz chuckled quietly at that, but that tapered off quick when he felt lips pressing against the column of his throat. Just a gentle touch that again felt far too intimate, a kiss that felt almost like a lover’s affectionate touch.

Still, he replied, “I suppose I've gotten used to feeling like a corpse, it's nice waking up warm.”

“Krav that's gotta be the _least_ sexy thing you've ever said to me or anyone in your whole life,” Taako said softly while smiling against his jaw, but he was quick to move to kiss him.

“Doesn't seem like a complaint to me,” Kravitz spoke against him while he grabbed for the side of Taako’s face, threading his fingers into his hair and guiding him back into another kiss. This was definitely fine, even a touch romantic if he was honest, lying there together as Taako tangled their legs.

There was no reply, just soft kisses that were more lazy than insistent, and Kravitz could appreciate the lack of rush. The previous night had been frantic and passionate and consuming, he definitely wasn't ready for that this early. Clearly Taako wasn't either if him dropping his head to cozy up just under Kravitz’s chin was any indication. “I'm gonna snooze some more, darling,” mumbled against his skin.

The laws of nature dictated that spending enough time in bed eventually made people sleepy again, and Kravitz never usually allowed himself to go back to sleep once his eyes opened, but he had no strict schedule for today if he was investigating on the whims of other people. All of this was enough of a rare occurrence anyway that he would consider a bit more sleep a treat, and so closed his eyes and settled back in against the incredibly warm and soft, affectionate guy against him.

When he next woke up, it was because the door had creaked open far more noisily than any door should have any right being. There was a bit more light in the room from the window he'd failed to notice during the night, and having cracked his eyes open, he also saw Angus creep into the room almost nervously. Taako was still dead asleep against him, so Kravitz stayed still as he was and shut his eyes to feign sleep as well. He wondered what was going through the kid’s head about them being in bed together; he wasn't freaked out from what he'd seen which was definitely good. He was such a smart kid and he was probably old enough to recognize blatant flirting and maybe what Kravitz thought was Angus not noticing was a certain numbness to Taako’s demeanor.

It was entirely unsurprising when Angus got up onto the bed and lifted up the covers to crawl under. Taako woke up almost instantly, and Kravitz was belatedly relieved that they'd remembered to put some semblance of clothing back on last night. Taako spoke into his chest, “Kid, how are you always so cold?”

“Well Sir, I'm a small boy-”

“You're a small ice cube, pumpkin, c’mere,” and Kravitz opened his eyes again to watch this frankly adorable spectacle. He lifted his arm from around Taako’s middle to aid in him turning onto his other side so he could wrap his arm around Angus and pull him closer under the quilt.

“Am I still sick today?”

“Raging fever, runny nose, up all night having a sleepover with the toilet. Ango you're wrecked and you can't go to school, and out of the kindness of my heart I'm staying home to look after you,” Taako said with dramatic flair that Kravitz was coming to expect from him in that airy, almost sing-song tone of voice he clearly loved embellishing.

Angus started giggling as the bed shook slightly, and Kravitz watched what was clearly tickling going on which was an even more adorable spectacle, tugging on heart strings and distant familial memories he'd rather not dig up. Still, the more he saw, the more clued in he felt to just how much Taako cared about the kid even though he tried super hard seemingly to not show it when not in private.

When they settled down, Kravitz stopped being such an outsider as Taako leaned back into him, and he felt not so much uncomfortable as he did distressingly compassionate as he placed his hand on Taako’s hip. A peaceful moment that might have classified as sentimental were he anyone else and not an intruder of sorts in this close knit town.

“Kravitz?”

“Hm?”

Angus’ head popped up to look at him from behind Taako’s shoulder, and he looked even younger without his circle glasses perched on his nose. He didn’t continue immediately, and Kravitz was a little confused, but Taako interrupted the silence with, “Ango don’t be weird.”

“Oh, ah, it’s nothing…”

“If you insist,” but Kravitz still reached over and mussed his hair up. The domestic feeling that welled up in him was interesting, but muted easily enough. They didn’t stay like that for too much longer, Taako getting up and taking Angus with him to give Kravitz some time alone to get up and shower and get ready for the day while they went to make breakfast. Which, of course, once he joined them, was delicious.

 

* * *

 

  
After breakfast, they left the dishes soaking in the sink to clean up later because quite frankly if they took any longer to get this show on the road, Angus might have exploded. He was the epitome of—the poster child for–excited, even though he was still nervous about missing school. That in itself was cute, but Taako had called it in, called himself in, and made Magnus swear not to tell anyone they were playing hookie as he’d been running out the door to go off to the church.

The forecast was clear for the day, sun shining almost too brightly as they stepped outside after bundling up. It was going to be a cool one, temperature not quite freezing, but still below average for this time of year and windy. Their first destination was Lake Void, bent on investigating that first to see if there truly had been something he’d missed the previous day. Clearly, he had, but with more sets of eyes, perhaps he’d find something more substantial today.

If he had felt a normal amount of eeriness at the lake before, something about hearing the faintest melancholic musical tone carrying in the bitter wind of this particular November morning was curling unpleasantly in his guts on a whole new level. It was so faint that Kravitz almost thought he was imagining it. They’d parked the car in the tiny area before the dirt separated and transitioned to looser sand, and that’s where just the barest trace of the sound had caressed his ears. As they walked to the shore and walked around, it started getting the barest bit louder.

Angus was the first to point it out, “Are you also hearing that?”

“Yeah what the fuck is that?”

“I hear it too, but it’s too soft to figure out where it’s coming from, shh,” hushing them and straining his ears. It truly was a gloomy tune, inspiring a deeply unsettling feeling the longer he listened. More than that, he felt like he was being serenaded to the tune of a bitter, sorrowful tale. It felt almost ethereal in tone, unlike anything he had heard before. Almost hypnotizing in nature in the short, repetitive tone, washing over him, soothing something deep within him the longer he listened. The sound grew more complex, more marvelous and maybe even a touch more tender.

He could feel the sound trying to draw him in, what was once chilling feeling so much warmer and welcoming than just moments ago. Why had he been so apprehensive again? He felt compelled to seek the affectionate, sympathetic embrace of the musical movement cresting deep in what felt like his soul.

Kravitz hadn’t even realized that the world had faded away into a blur of muted colors, having turned toward the lake itself and zoning the world around him completely out. The cold, dark water lapping at the shore feeling more natural than sinister. Safe. Calming. More like a blanket that he wanted to pull over himself, or let it wash over him completely. Security, protection, the source of life itself. He wanted to fuse with the feeling, the emotion it brought forth from his chest and expanded outward until it threatened to consume him whole.

Where was he?

The melody ingrained in his heart faded away and the world came rushing back as he felt a tug on his hand, grounding him back into reality. Reality, where the inky blackness of the lake itself felt separate from the harsh, bright world around him. It was the rest of the area that made him antsy, the sky and the glaring burn of the sun on his eyes.

What was he doing again?

The tugging in his hand was more insistent, and as the last of the haunting chords left his senses grasping for another taste of it, a horrible sense of vertigo dropped him into awareness.

Weird.

“Sir?”

He took a moment to compose himself and try and gather what exactly was happening. Angus was tugging on his hand, which solved that piece of the puzzle. The lake was in front of him, small waves just inches short from reaching his shoes.

On the other side, he finally noticed that Taako had grabbed his arm, and he said, “Krav?”

“How long have I been standing here?” His throat felt dry, like no matter what he did, nothing would be able to soothe it.

“For like _five_ fucking minutes, you scared the shit outta us,” Taako rushed out a sigh of relief, “What weird shit was that? It was like you couldn't hear us or see us.”

The comparatively tiny hand in his felt like it was trembling, and Kravitz finally looked down at wide eyed Angus who really did look like he was shaking like a leaf. He looked how Kravitz was feeling inside, not sure how to interpret what just happened. What strong force had that been? It had been powerful enough to take hold of him completely. For the first time in what felt like a long time, he truly could feel fear creep into his bones in a more tangible sense that made him want to run away from this cursed place and never come back. If he had been alone now without these two here to pull him back to reality, what if he had let that mystical force take him over completely? To think he _had_ been alone not twenty hours earlier.

“I… I don't know,” said quietly, squeezing Angus’ hand with his own and detaching his arm from Taako’s grasp to wrap it around his shoulders. A tremor moved through him again just at the thought of how attractive descending into the depths of the lake had seemed at that moment in time he'd been trapped in a bewitched stupor. That could have very well been a reality if he'd come alone today.

“Are you okay?” Angus piped up, and Kravitz squeezed his hand a little harder before letting go, also letting his arm slip from Taako as he moved back away from the lake some more.

What a truly terrible encounter, enough to shake him and make him want to abandon this lead. If he wasn't so hard up for a single clue, he would already be back to his car to get as far away from here as humanly possible. He felt like he needed a cigarette even though he'd finally managed to quit some time ago, mourning that he'd thrown out the pack he used to keep in his glove box. Instead, he felt the urge to sit down before he had a panic attack, and to his luck he spotted a dried out fallen log on the sand some ways away, so he sat down to try and catch himself and figure this out.

First, though, “Angus.”

“Y-yes?”

The both of them had followed his lead, and Taako sat next to him while Angus was standing in front of them. “That music we heard-”

“What music?”

“Yeah Krav, what music? I didn’t hear anything.”

Had the entire past couple of minutes been an illusion? Did he imagine everything entirely?

“You both heard it too. I _know_ you did, Angus you asked _me_ a few minutes ago if I could hear it. Taako, you agreed,” his head was swimming now, feeling fuzzy. Had he conceived this out of thin air? There was no way that he’d fallen into a trance out of nowhere, the music had done it to him, there was no doubt. Furthermore, he felt like he had fallen so far into the feeling of safety and acceptance because he had been concentrating on the melody so thoroughly that it allowed it to possess him. That much was certain.

Taako grabbed his hand to an attempt to get him to look at him, perhaps to ground him. Sure, he appreciated the gesture, but his mind was starting to analyze the situation faster now. Taako started, “Krav–”

Kravitz interrupted him though and looked at the boy in front of him, “Angus, what did you say last night when we were talking, something about people saying weird things happened around here, but they could never tell you what, or that their memories were fuzzy.”

Angus looked perturbed for a few moments before realization dawned on him, “Oh! Oh, wow, do you think that just happened to us? I mean, I don't remember hearing music, but now I won't rule out the possibility.”

“I swear to you both that just minutes ago we all heard music, incredibly soft and distant. I suppose it took me over, in a sense hypnotizing me. I felt compelled to throw myself into the lake. Neither of you remember the music, which aligns with fuzzy memories. Or, I suppose, just having no explanation for something unnatural happening,” Kravitz shifted his gaze to stare at the lake, half expecting to see the same lights dancing underneath the surface that Angus had seen.

“That’s some fuckin’ crazy talk my guy,” Taako said hesitantly, “I’m like, entertaining this excursion because you and Ango are bonding and it’s cute, but I’m gonna need something else besides ‘spooky things are happening that we can’t explain’ to justify this. You scared the hell out of me, I was trying to get your attention for way too long for you to tell me you don’t have a medical history of blacking out or something.”

“I wish I had more for you than I can’t explain it right now, because I’m going to be the first to tell you that what I signed up for was a missing person case. If this kind of stuff is happening around here, there’s something else going on.”

“Like _what_? Nobody has gone missing here literally like ever since I’ve moved here, no kidnappings, no home break-ins, no murders. Nothing bad happens here,” Taako sounded a bit condescending, but he had a point.

“Sirs, what if nobody remembers?” Angus said faintly, looking deep in thought as he stood there, bouncing on the balls of his feet on the hard sand, “My investigations never turned up anything concrete, what if nothing bad happens here because nobody remembers?” Angus turned around in a circle, starting to pace a bit in front of them as he jammed his hands into his pockets. “That’s the hard part, we can’t prove that. It would be preposterous to ask people about things nobody can remember.”

“Well I sure as fuck can’t figure it out. I’m not actually on the detective team, I’m here as like. The secretary. And I’m not a good one, I’m just here to be gorgeous and take your calls.”

Kravitz huffed out a quiet laugh, squeezing Taako’s hand before letting it slip from him as he stood up, “Does anyone live close to the lake?” He couldn’t remember seeing any roads branching off of the road they had taken to get here, definitely no houses.

“Not that I know of? I dunno, I know this is a super small town, but I’m not really the taking a walk in the woods type.”

“I think we’re done with this at the moment, I’ve gotten enough insight,” he said mildly, wishing to put some distance at least between the shore and himself.

There was a murmur of agreement, so they started walking back toward the car. As they approached it, Kravitz remembered the folded map that he’d thankfully remembered to shove into his jacket pocket, and he took it out, unfolding it and placing it on the hood of the car. His eyes searched for the lake on it, having a hard time since he hadn’t scrutinized it closely enough.

Thankfully, Angus stuck his finger right on the mark and said, “We’re here, and as you can see, there’s nobody that lives this far out.”

“I can see that, but now that we’re looking at this together, guide me through the town?”

Kravitz could imagine that Angus was the type of kid to read an atlas for fun–not an insult, he had been the same type of kid, but expert eyes were definitely appreciated. “Sure, um, let me start back in the center of town.” Angus dragged his finger down the way they'd driven in and came to a stop at the police station, Kravitz having marked off places he had been already. “Okay, the station is where we’ll start. If you go way, way down this way,” Angus dragged his finger, “There's the farm. Nobody really lives out that way besides Redmond who runs it.”

“Is there anything strange about them?”

“Oh, no sir, not at all. The farm is pretty large, and it supplies a lot of the food around here. Everyone respects Redmond, and a lot of people help him out on the farm. Nothing suspicious, not even a bit.”

Kravitz nodded, but he said, “It may still be worth it to check it out, but let's move on.”

Angus picked his finger up and dropped it about halfway between the farm and the lake, “That's where the Millers live. Lucas and his mother Maureen, they're researchers, but mostly they keep to themselves.”

“Anything strange about them?”

“Besides Luke living with his mother at his age?” Taako scoffed, leaning against the passenger side door of the car. “Y’know what? I don't really trust him as far as Magnus could throw him. Little weasel just _looks_ sneaky.”

“Got a grudge against him?”

“I don't like his face, or his personality, or anything about him,” he shrugged, and Angus laughed behind his hand.

“They collect a lot of electronics which isn’t weird; I think what he means is that they're very introverted to the point where some might call them a bit strange, but otherwise I haven't noticed any peculiar behavior when they come into town.”

“No kid, I mean it. There's something slippery about Lucas, I don't know what it is, but I just don't trust that slimebag.”

Kravitz chuckled quietly, tapping on the map directly next to Angus’ finger, “If there's this much of a conflicting opinion, I think that means we should go pay them a visit. The sheriff already okayed me doing some searching around town, and he said I could ask questions as long as I wasn't harassing people.”

Angus quickly pointed out the rest of the town, which Kravitz pulled his pen out so the landmarks could get marked off to help him remember what was what. He made note to visit the lumber yard again as soon as possible, as well as the construction site. Maybe he'd pop on down to the farm to just check around later as well, but the first order of business was checking the Millers out. As soon as the map was folded back up and safely in his pocket, they loaded into the car to, quite frankly, get the fuck out of this horrible place.

 

* * *

 

The Miller’s house itself was modest, not incredibly large. There were a lot of mechanical parts scattered around the property though, from old cars starting their journey to ruin via irremovable rust, to piles of junk with tarps over them. Old television cabinets with the cathode ray tube displays taken out, gutted of wires. There was definitely a lot of clutter, but he’d been in enough junk yards in his time to know that this was a tame amount of garbage. It was also the mark of an extremely eccentric person, which Kravitz was no stranger to either. The yard also held a multitude of different sheds, but none of them particularly menacing. Still, after his dreadful experience at the lake, he was definitely learning his lesson to not take everything at face value.

“You lads can go riiiight on ahead without me, Taako is _way_ good out here.”

“Not coming with us?”

“My guy you could not _pay_ me to. Especially because this is probably important, and I’m not out here trying to ruin your investigation. I trust you to keep Angus out of trouble too, gonna catch some quick Z’s,” Taako said while yawning, most likely for dramatic effect while he sat back and closed his eyes.

“Sleep well Taako!” Angus shout whispered as he unbuckled and got out of the car.

There was an older woman coming from one of the sheds, likely alerted by the engine as they’d been coming up, or the sound of car doors as Angus and himself exited. Kravitz was quick to bring out his badge to show her as he introduced himself once they got closer. “My name is Kravitz–”

“Maureen Miller, pleasure,” and she took off one dirty glove to shake his hand.

“Maureen, good morning,” he heard Angus mirror his greetings next to him, “I’m searching for a missing person who was rumored to be in this town last. This isn’t an accusatory visit, I’m just trying to find different points of reference for my case.”

“Are you working with Sheriff Isaac?”

“Independently, though I have spoken with him to get his permission to search around, and I absolutely want that to be transparent. I’m only looking to find out more about the area if you have a minute to speak to us.”

Maureen nodded, taking off her other glove and putting the pair in her back pocket, “Alright. Do you want to come in the house? It’s quite cold, and my work shed is very drafty and doesn’t have enough room for all of us anyway.”

“If we are not intruding, that would be lovely,” Kravitz said, genuinely glad for the invitation once the wind kicked up again. A quick look to Angus confirmed the poor kid’s knees were practically knocking as the day made a turn toward even colder.

“Alright, c’mon in then,” Maureen walked for the house, and as they were going up the concrete steps, Kravitz heard his car door slam and hurried footsteps toward them. Maureen turned around and looked toward the sound, visibly surprised. “Oh, Taako?”

“Ma’am,” said a bit curt, but otherwise respectful enough.

“Hm, anyway,” she opened the door and ushered them all inside, the area immediately opening into the kitchen. It was almost just as much of a disaster area inside as it was outside, little bits and big bits of electronics and wires and everything else stacked in every corner, on almost every bit of counter space, on the table, on two of the chairs. She asked, “Coffee? Tea? Juice?”

Taako took a seat at the small table while Angus stood a bit awkwardly at Kravitz’s side, “No thank you, I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”

Maureen poured herself a cup of coffee with a nod, and said, “Alright then. I suppose to move on, who are you searching for?”

“Her name is Noelle, she’s in her late teens, red hair, average build. I’ve spoken to many other people in town who have informed me they’ve never seen anyone like her. I don’t expect you have either, far from it. Like I mentioned before, I’m not here to search around, I’m just trying to find a point of reference for this case, more searching for leads and information than anything.” Kravitz didn’t get any sort of weird vibes from her, she truly seemed like a normal woman who was going about her business in the woods with her electronics. No Lucas so far, which based on Taako’s disdain, he was eager to catch a glimpse of him.

“Yeah, can’t say I’ve seen anyone matching that description. Otherwise, what would you like to know? I try and keep to myself out here with my son Lucas. As you can see, we take apart electronics and study them looking for ways to improve them. We sort through a lot of scrap, buy and sell. We do a bit of inventing, too, but nothing that’s ready for the public, of course,” Maureen sighed into her mug wistfully, and Kravitz could understand the sentiment. “Though, I have to ask, what do these two have to do with your investigation?”

Angus looked like a deer in headlights, and Taako looked quietly smug, sitting there with his leg crossed over his knee and his hands folded over as he accusingly said, “Is that _really_ important Maureen?”

“Well I mean, I’m just curious, I’m not meaning to be hostile...”

Before Taako could say anything else, the sound of something heavy dropped upstairs and shook the ceiling, stopping the words in his throat momentarily, “What the hell was that?”

“Lucas!” Maureen shouted, putting her mug down and going further into the house to a set of stairs visible in the next room, which she shouted up, “What are you doing up there?! I hope that’s not what I think it is!”

While she was occupied with that, Kravitz walked the few steps nearer to him so he could quietly ask, “What happened to ‘Taako is way good out here’?”

“If you thought I was gonna let you take Aang in this demon house without me going with him, you’re fuckin’ crazy, I don’t care how much I trust you,” said with a note of conclusiveness. Words that seemed to delight Angus to no end, to be cared about so much.

“Sorry about that,” Maureen came back in the room and picked her mug back up, leaning back against the counter top, “Lucas is my son, he’s been working on a little robot he’s called Hodge Podge, and I keep telling him that I don’t want it in the house until there’s a guarantee it’s not going to ruin the floors up there. But um, Taako, I guess it’s really not important. I suppose it’s just weird that a detective shows up in town and instead of working with the local police, he’s working with you and your boy?”

“And frankly, that’s none of your business, so let’s move on,” Taako waved his hand dismissively, looking every bit petty, like he’d succeeded in some imaginary competition.

“ _Anyway_ , I don’t want to take up too much of your time Maureen, all I want to know is if you’ve seen or heard anything strange lately? I understand that you’re mostly alone around here, but does anything come to mind?”

“Not specifically, like I said, I’ve been sticking to my parts and bits and bobs trying to piece stuff together and improve them. I mostly stick around here, Lucas is the one that ventures out into town a bit more, especially if we need anything around the house which we haven't in awhile,” Maureen said, and then looked toward the back of the house and continued, “Speak of the devil, Lucas that better not have been Hodge Podge.”

A voice that suggested horrible allergies came drifting in. “It wasn’t, it was actually–” Lucas started, but stopped dead in his tracks as he stepped into view in the kitchen and looked at everyone present. He went from relaxed to nervous in an instant, and he squeaked out, “ _Taako_.”

“Relaaaax, Lucas. I’m here alone, and I’m not here for you. Just act like I’m not here,” Taako replied in that innocent, airy way that Kravitz was starting to identify as condescending. Something he was going to have to ask in more depth about later, certainly, about their history.

“R-right, well, u-um,” he stuttered out before clearing his throat. Kravitz, was starting to get a bit of a strange feeling from him, and not one influenced by Taako’s oppressive distaste for the guy. He truly did seem like the type to be sneakily up to something. “Hello there uh, Taako, Angus, and..?”

“Please don't talk to our little boy,” Taako said quickly and dismissively while grabbing onto Angus’ arm and tugging him closer. Lucas squirmed more, pointedly looking away.

Maureen ignored Taako and said, “Lucas, dear, this is Kravitz and he’s looking for a missing person.”

“Yes, her name is Noelle, and she’s a teenager of average build, red hair. I don’t expect you’ve seen her, so what I want to know is if you’ve seen or heard anything strange in town lately?”

Lucas was still considerably nervous as he eyed Taako, “Not particularly. Everything has been pretty normal lately except for what happened at the church with Cassidy yesterday, but I’m assuming you already know about that.”

“Correct. Other than that, nothing else?”

“No, nothing really. We stay to ourselves here mostly.”

“Right, that’s all I’m really here to ask, otherwise, I think it’s time we stop intruding. Thank you for inviting us into your home, Maureen, Lucas,” Kravitz nodded to them, then turned to look at Taako and Angus, motioning with his head to follow them out.

“Hey, Luke, before we go, quick question,” Taako said as he stood up, pushing the chair back in with his foot on the bottom rung, “Did Paloma get her new shipment in yet? I’m still waiting for something to come in and she said it’d be in with her next shipment.”

“Oh, ah, no. Not in yet,” he said in his same, nervous, nasally voice.

“Great, thanks. Listen, I will see you all later for another chat sesh, but we really must be going now. It’s been a super fun, believe me nobody is sadder than _me_ right now that we’re leaving, but adieu,” Taako said with a disingenuous smile before opening the door and stepping out, holding it open for Angus and Kravitz. If anything, that had been the oddest thing about the encounter, the sudden friendly conversation Taako had initiated.

Still, Taako walked right to the car and got in the passenger’s seat as Kravitz and Angus followed behind. Speaking of which, the boy had been quiet this whole time, and Kravitz asked, “Everything alright?”

“Oh, um, yes. I was trying to look for clues, but all I could see was mechanical waste.”

Fair enough on that, the house had been in a complete state of disarray. Still, once the two of them were back in the car as well, buckling in as Kravitz was putting his key in the ignition, Taako said, “He’s lying.”

That made Kravitz freeze for a moment with a sense of intrigue washing over him before he turned to Taako and said, “I mean, I can see what you said about him being peculiar, but–”

“No, listen to me Krav, that little weasel is _lying_. Now I'm not the smartest guy on the block and I'm oblivious as fuck, but shit. Remember just now, I asked if Paloma’s shipment came in? Paloma runs a bakery and on the side sells crystals and does palm reading, all that mystical jazz. What’s today?”

“Today is Friday.”

“Bingo, today is Friday, which means that yesterday was Thursday.”

“Right,” Kravitz raised an eyebrow, wondering where this line of thinking was going.

Angus was the one who deduced what train of thought Taako was on when he exclaimed, “Oh! Paloma is closed on Thursdays!”

“Right kiddo, Paloma is _closed_ on Thursdays. And _I_ was there on Wednesday to pick up a big ‘ol hunk of quartz I was needing along with some pigment I was waiting on,” Taako said as if that made all the sense in the world.

However, Kravitz was still confused, “Which would mean that he hasn’t been there in a couple of days if he doesn’t know her shipment came in.”

“No, Krav, _listen_ to me. Me ‘n Sloane who works over at the market always make fun of the little turd, and I know he comes into town on Mondays to go to the market and she always lets me know the hot gossip. He goes to Paloma’s every other Friday because I guess he does some weird shit with crystals too. Other than that? He doesn’t come into town. Ever. For like, _anything_ else.” Taako was getting a bit more animated, and Kravitz could see the revelation cranking its way through his mind, “Kravitz, _Krav_ , honey, how the _fuck_ would he have known about Cassidy blowing up the church?”

Oh.

When it clicked into place, Kravitz felt completely taken aback, the same realization dawning on him. Had Lucas cracked under pressure and forgotten that Paloma was closed on Thursdays? Had he otherwise gone into town? A thousand questions went through his head, trying to understand the plethora of puzzle pieces that had just been dumped onto his mental poster board to try and fit into the picture.

“I’m tellin’ ya Krav, he’s a creature of habit, that one. His home is a fucking trash mountain extraordinaire, but he has a schedule that he’s meticulous about. Doesn’t vary outside of it, and Maureen even said they hadn't been out in a while. So I’m calling bullshit on any attempt you might have to say he could have been in town yesterday, because sure, word travels fast around this hovel, but word isn’t gonna travel all the way out _here_ because he’s got no friends! It’s so sad! One time he crossed me n’ Magnus and, _oh_ ,” Taako crooned dramatically, “Magnus, handsome, strong Magnus threatened to rip his arms off!” Taako took a breath, clapping his hands together once then pointing toward the house, “So what I’m saying is there is _no_ way that little shit would know that Cassidy blew up the church, because he didn’t go to town yesterday. He’s hiding a _lot_ of somethings.”

Kravitz was absolutely floored the longer Taako spoke, mostly because of the realization that if he hadn’t brought the two of them along today, that was something he wouldn’t have ever figured out on his own, not in a thousand years. Looking back toward the house, he noticed the space in the blinds indicating that someone was looking out at them, making a chill run down Kravitz’s spine. Automatically, he turned the key in the ignition and did a three point turn to get them out of there, suddenly incredibly overwhelmed with a dreadful feeling that he couldn’t connect the dots to.

One thing was incredibly certain though, this would not be his last visit to the Millers’ house. There was nothing else to go off of for now either, which was the most frustrating part perhaps. It seemed like another starting lead piled onto a handful of starting leads, but nothing was quite linking up together as of yet.

“Are you sure about all of this Taako?”

“This is a gut feeling my dude, I’m a jerk toward him normally, but this is burning me up.”

Angus piped up from the backseat with a lighthearted jab, saying it in a cheery voice, “And you called yourself a secretary, sir.”

“I did, didn’t I? Well, bump me up from hot secretary to hot detective, because if Pukeas has something to hide, I’m going to find out what it is and I will not stop until my dying _breath_ ,” the threat that spilled slowly, and so clearly, concisely from his lips was toeing the line between eerie and riveting. “I will figure it out and I will take him _down_ and I will _ruin_ him.”

“Where should we start with this?” Truly, Kravitz had no idea, but he had a lot of information to go off of and no organization to any of it. He almost felt like they should take a step back.

“Maybe we should visit the church, take a look at the scene of the crime and talk to Merle and Magnus about it? I’d love to hear what they have to say about this.”

“The church it is.”

 

* * *

 

The church itself was a moderately sized building, made of a combination of stone and wood with the portion that had been destroyed being mostly wood. When they pulled up to the church, Kravitz noticed the hole itself had been plugged up neatly with wood, now being sealed over with whatever people sealed holes with.

Taako was the first out of the car, and Angus and himself were following him a few moments later, Kravitz catching the tail end of, “...gotta ask you some stuff.”

“Yeah, I'm just letting this this dry before I paint, what's up Taako?”

“I need you to literally rip Lucas’ arms off like you promised, he's gone too far this time,” nonchalantly said as Taako rocked on his heels.

“Did he do something? Because I'll go down there right now,” Magnus said with a certain edge to his voice that promised absolute harm.

“I'm going to take a moment to remind you that I'm a _detective_ and even if Lucas deserves the sentence of getting his arms ripped off, that can only be decided by jury. To my understanding we don't know if he even _has_ done anything.”

“He's a liar and I'm going to catch him and I'm going to _end_ him.”

“Uh, Sirs, I believe we should elaborate while we take a look at the crime scene? We don't have enough information for an accusation yet,” Angus said while bending toward the pile of rubble to be discarded.

The kid was impossibly cute, but Kravitz was the first to agree, “Yes, I did want to ask more about this as now it seems to be more relevant to my investigation, and now I'm regretting that I did not check it out when it was fresh yesterday.”

“Well I'm sure if you grill Cassidy she’ll spill out her confession,” Merle grumbled as he watched Magnus smooth out the edges of his fix.

“Magnus, did you happen to see anything strange when you went to fix this? Anything that didn't really make sense?” Kravitz decided to ignore Merle for the moment in favor of getting more information from the person actually doing the work on the damage.

“You know, now that you mention it–”

“There's no blast residue,” Angus said from the sidelines, still inspecting the pile of debris. “I don’t see or smell any trace of gunpowder either which would have been used in a lesser explosive. Not that a lot would be left behind, but the rubble left in the aftermath would at least have scorch marks on it. I don’t think this was an explosive.”

“Not an explosive? Damn near cut my nose off trimming my mustache yesterday when I heard the damn noise it made,” Merle said sounding indignant.

“If it wasn’t an explosion, what could it have been?” Magnus had finished up his current patch and came over to inspect the wreckage alongside Angus. “I mean, to go back to the weird part, it seemed weird that it looked more like someone took a huge sledge to it and whacked the hell outta it. The pieces are kinda in hunks instead of splintered apart like a blast usually does with something fragile like wood.”

Kravitz took a moment to process that. Another question with no answer, another lead without an end in sight. He could barely keep mental track of each new bit of information that he came across, which reminded him he did have his little notebook to keep track of things in. So that came out, pen in hand while he listened to them discuss as he took down more notes.

“Exactly! Usually a blast will leave a lot of splintering and small pieces, but it’s peculiar that the there are big chunks. I wouldn’t say this was caused by an explosive, but there’s not many other explanations for this. Sir,” Angus said speaking toward Merle, “Did you only hear one big noise?”

“Just the one, kid.”

“Just one, but this couldn’t have been a blast, hm,” Angus brought his hand to his face, thumbnail against his lip as he hummed in a pattern. “There would have been more noises if someone was hitting it with a hammer, and it would have taken longer, but it _couldn't_ have been a blast…”

“Merle, if you don't mind me asking more about how you came to the conclusion of Cassidy, could you elaborate?” Kravitz said, trying to come at this from a different angle. “And first if I may ask more about her?”

“She's got a lotta rocks in her noggin; works down at the construction site to blast through the mountain. She's the forewoman on the job site, always has been since she's good at the logistics and knows her job inside and out,” Merle said, sounding frustrated, “She's the only one in this town who has access to dynamite, but if it wasn't dynamite then what in the hell _did_ blow my wall up? And if it's not her, who?”

“It's funny you mention that, because that's why we’re here to get an opinion,” Taako started with a smug smile. “I caught him in a lie. See, when Krav was asking him and his mother questions, he said the only thing strange happening around here was, well, this thing,” he said as he gestured to the wreckage. “But I know for a fact that he wasn't in town yesterday so he wouldn't have even _known_ about it. So that means he knows more than he's letting on but we don't know what about.”

“Need me to go squeeze it out of him?” Magnus said in such a way where Kravitz expected him to crack his knuckles menacingly.

“He almost pissed himself enough when I was there, if you show up he'd die on the spot, and we don't even know what he did yet so I'm gonna slap a no on that one champ.”

“Well _someone_ owes the church money for this wall, and I'll hold ‘em up by their ankles and shake ‘em until I get it. Don't care who it is.”

Whatever they did do, Kravitz had to make sure that he wasn't dragging others into this. Yes, he absolutely could not have gotten this far without the help of _any_ of them, but this was dredging into territory he could see from a mile away was where none of them belonged. If anything, the sheriff was the one he should be going to with this. Especially because he didn't want the kid to get mixed up in grownup business, and he was imposing his investigation on the others enough when they weren't on this career path. The more he gathered, the more dangerous this could potentially be. Even if he'd been saved from a potential watery grave, the last thing he wanted was for anyone else to be put in the same hazardous path. As the others bickered, Kravitz tried to think of the best way to reign this in, but he was coming up short for reasons other than danger. Especially because truly they had all been incredibly helpful.

He felt wishy-washy about the entire thing, and decided that after today it would probably be best to continue his investigation alone. He had enough starting points to follow up on, and he probably could find the way and find his answers from here. Tomorrow he could go to the construction site again, he could follow up with the sheriff on Cassidy, any number of things.

His shoulder was being shaken as Taako said, “Krav, don't pull the zoning out treatment on me again, you in there bud?”

“Hm?”

“I was asking if you wanna come to the wedding tomorrow? I know I can squeeze a plus one outta Carey, if you're into that sorta sentimental thing and since you're like, part of this gang now I guess.”

Kravitz blinked, “I don't really think it'd be appropriate–”

“Sir, you should come!” Angus spoke up and looked terribly excited.

“Yeaaaah, you should come, Agnes is the ring bearer and his little suit isn't like _high_ fashion good but it's like. Alright. And it's gonna be _super_ beautiful which frankly makes me wanna barf…”

“I was going to do some more research tomorrow, and I was going to check out a few more places. Besides, I don't know the couple, you know, at _all_. I don't want to intrude on their day,” Kravitz said knowing in his bones that he probably sounded as awkward as he felt.

“C'mon Krav, free food? Angie in his dumb little fancy boy clothes?”

Angus was beaming at the very underhanded comment, but he said, “And isn't it easier to see who isn't there by seeing who is? Everyone is invited, those who don't show up are gonna be pretty suspicious. I know you don't know anyone, but that's why we’re there to take attendance.”

A good idea, but, “True, but couldn't you tell me afterward? Whether or not I'm there has no bearing on a suspicious party’s attendance, and it would be easier to check around undetected while everyone else is enjoying the reception.”

“Krav, darling, just come with us, I'm sure whatever weird shit is happening here can  wait a day. Open bar,” Taako said with a wink, “I know you have an investigation, but free booze. And free fun. And you'll be able to talk to more people I guess? Either you're sneaking around or you get to eavesdrop on a buncha people at once.”

“All valid points, I suppose. I'll think about it?”

He supposed, at his core, Kravitz really was a loner. Even within his precinct, he didn't answer to anyone except for his boss. He never worked with partners, always solving cases alone and without too much trouble. Perhaps the most important feeling of all was that he was always isolated, and it wasn't so much that people didn't approach him (though they still definitely kept their distance), but he didn't know how to handle the sheer notion that people wanted to be around him. He'd also spurned enough people over time that eventually they did just leave him alone.

Kravitz had no family, really. Nobody he spoke to, nobody living. No friends that weren't just contacts to get information from as he needed it. The concept of being actively sought out was so utterly alien to him—the disappointment as he continued to decline so evident on Taako’s face and even more so on Angus’. It had probably been a long time since he last felt the hollow ache of loneliness creep into his chest, but apparently now was a good time to remind him that such a feeling existed.

As they all continued talking, looking away from him, the detachment felt stronger. At his core, yes, he was an outsider to this situation, to this town, and he was being thrown in the middle of it like a lost child in a crowd of oblivious people.

Yet loathe as he was to admit it, he could feel a connection between him and Taako. Somehow, some way, it was there. They were attracted to each other of course, but he could tell there was more to it even if he wasn't sure what. Something he didn't want to exactly analyze at this point in time, maybe if he got wasted and ended up alone in his hotel room after the wedding. If he went.

Ah well, there was no sense in dwelling on it when he had a lot of work left to do today. There was more that he wanted to check out, namely the construction site. It would also benefit him if he went down to the sheriff’s to ask a little bit more now that he had more information and a ton of questions about the Millers.

“Hey, you hungry? Wanna pop back to my place for lunch?” Taako touched his shoulder and brought him back to earth, continuing, “Boy detective is hungry, and hot detective is too, and I'm sure hot real detective is too.”

Before he could answer, Magnus said, “You guys mind waiting a minute for me to finish up? Guy who is fixing the wall is starving and I'm gonna let this stuff set for the night and come back early to finish and get rid of the broken stuff.” He was starting to gather his tools, sounding every bit sheepish as he said, “And this is me totally begging for a ride so I don't have to walk home with this shit.”

“Oh,” well, shit. He was too deep to refuse that or decline the offer. “Need some help with that?” A detour wouldn't hurt too much, but right after lunch he would leave.

 

* * *

 

Right after lunch, he did not leave. In fact, Kravitz did the exact opposite of leaving, which meant that he stayed for far longer than he meant to. Which meant that while yes, he was having an alright time, he was feeling a bit cagey in terms of having been constantly around people he barely knew. Not that he was antisocial, but the pleasant company was so far outside his norm, and definitely outside his comfort zone. Especially when they went home–back to Taako’s house, not home–and helped Angus with the dishes from the morning while Taako cooked. He washed, Angus dried, and Magnus came around freshly showered to help put away.

A very heartwarming experience for sure once Magnus reminded Angus that Friday night Wrecktown was coming on later that night. The look on Angus’ face was like a Christmas tree lighting up, he was excited immediately as if he'd forgotten his favorite thing and had just been reminded. Honestly? That was exactly the case.

“Oh, oh oh, that's right!”

“C’mon now Ango don't tell me you didn't remember,” Magnus said while roughing his hair up. “It's our _thing_ little dude.”

It was Kravitz’s mistake getting roped into this longer by saying, “You know, I actually met Sabine when working on a case once–”

Angus interrupted, visibly starry-eyed, “What? No way!”

“She wasn't related to the case itself, but she was, um, involved with the person who hired me. Very nice woman, she invited me backstage at a local show once I'd finished my case, and I ended up meeting a the wreck-roster. This was about a year back,” he recalled, choosing to leave out the aftermath details. “I got to see the show from behind the scenes. Very cool stuff, lots of work goes into it, and lots of talented people make it happen.”

That was how Kravitz got dragged into a very long conversation between himself, Magnus, and Angus about who had the best technicals, about their favorite wrestlers, good storylines recently that were a miracle from the creative team. Kravitz was completely unsurprised to learn that Angus was a complete mark for Jeff Angel, the dude had a lot of charisma, he was an incredibly nice person in the ring and out, overall just a great guy. Angus also did his homework when it came to wrestlers, matching him in conversation about the old guard, long retired. His favorites had been Bone Hold Steve Boston, Chuck the Duck (who had carried a live duck with him in a sack at all times), The Shockprentice, Macho Man Sandy Ravage, the list went on to an embarrassing length.

Which meant of course, that as Taako rolled his eyes (fondly) at them all, he went about his business of making sure Angus’ little fancy boy suit was all set out and ready for the morning as well as other various things. Kravitz, meanwhile, was completely lost in terms of kayfabe since it had been so long since he'd last had time to watch wrestling, and of course Angus was more than happy to help fill him in along with Magnus filling in the gaps.

When Jeff Angel’s theme started playing, Angus could barely sit still, and when he finally came out the adorable cheer was infectious. Actually, it felt incredibly natural to just… relax. For once. Jacket long abandoned, sleeves rolled up on his shirt, slacks getting increasingly rumpled the longer he sat. He definitely had the dawning realization that he hadn't really been able to do that for so long. Constantly working, no close friends that he did anything with, and yet with a kid and a guy he barely knew the three of them were bonding like glue. Angel’s ring moves were a little stale, but the crowd was going nuts and Angus was happy as a clam when he won his match.

The sun having already set, once the glare of the TV got to be too much in a dark room, Magnus turned the corner lamps on. That was when he caught it out of the corner of his eye. Well, he caught _something_ even if he wasn't sure what it was. Almost like a ripple, like the sheen on a bubble floating through the air, like the soapy iridescent color that didn't show when you were looking at it directly, only at an angle. Just a brief, fleeting sensation on his peripheral, on the window. When he actually looked, all he noticed was a small flowerpot on one side of the sill with a sprig of something or other poking out of the dirt.

If that had been isolated, he wouldn't have thought twice about it, but at the commercial he went to the bathroom and noticed it again out of the corner of his eye on the small window as he was washing his hands. That was when Kravitz paused and tried to inspect it. On this window there was a faint wet line that looked relatively fresh, and touching a fingertip to it he brought it to his nose but was unable to determine what the scent was. In another corner was a small chunk of white, cracked looking crystal, but otherwise no trace of whatever he had seen. Odd, but he remembered Taako and his seeming frequent enough visits to Paloma for crystals to notice Lucas’ lie, so that made sense. Maybe Taako was superstitious?

On his way back to the living room and the other two, Kravitz noticed at quick glances the same little markers in the corners of doorways, and other little flower pots or sprigs of dried herbs and such scattered on other windows. Definitely superstitious, but now that he was analyzing it, the atmosphere inside this house was much more calming than the outside. He felt more at peace, dare he say protected?

The night finished out with Angus getting sleepy toward the end of Wrecktown, and Magnus messing his hair up as he said, “C’mon kiddo, gotta get enough sleep for the wedding.” After polite goodnights all around and Angus going off down the hall to bed, Magnus said to him, “Kravitz, dude, nice hanging, but I'm gonna head off too. I think Taako is in his room?”

“I'm going to see myself out in a moment, but I have to uh… gather my things.”

“No need to circle around it, I get it and all I'll say is better you than me, I can't keep up with his stamina.” Kravitz raised an eyebrow and Magnus laughed and said, “We've fucked around a few times but I have like way too many hang ups for him and for myself if I'm honest.”

Kravitz hadn't expected that, especially because he'd been told that Magnus had been married at some point. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think it's anything serious regardless. I suppose we got caught up in mutual attraction, and I admit it's unorthodox that I got intimately involved, but I won’t let it go much further. Once my case is solved…”

“Yeah, I feel you. Just be good to him in the meantime? He’s kind of a dumbass, and he’s aloof like ninety-five percent of the time, but he’s a little fragile, not that he’d ever admit it,” Magnus said sounding almost somber. “And if you say I said that, after he kicks my ass, I’ll kick yours, pal.”

“I won’t say a word, scout’s honor,” and Kravitz held up three fingers to seal it.

“Good good. You coming to Carey’s wedding tomorrow? I know you said you’d think about it, but Angus is imprinting on you like a baby duck and he’d love it. Also I know I’m not like involved, but lots of people are gonna be there and you’ll probably hear a lot of gossip.”

“I probably wasn’t going to, but I truly am thinking about it,” Kravitz said perhaps a bit too stiffly, because he did mean it. He was thinking about it. “Anyway…”

“Right, Kravitz, I’ll let you get to it,” and Magnus lifted a hand to wave in departure before going to his own room, leaving Kravitz standing in the middle of the house like an idiot.

An idiot that figured it was time to collect his things and leave, though he felt a saccharine pang as he opened Taako’s door and saw the room illuminated in a soft glow by a whole bunch of candles with Taako sitting in the center of his bed, seemingly deep in meditation. The comfortable feeling that hit him was only a little alarming, even as the overpowering scent of myrrh hit him from the multiple sticks of incense he could see lit. Taako didn’t even look up until the door creaked closed, and then he hit Kravitz with a smile that made him a touch weak at the knees.

“Hey there handsome, you done watching the fight opera?”

Kravitz laughed quietly, moving toward him to sit on the edge of the bed, “We are. The other two went to bed.”

“Hm, yeah, that sounds nice. Gotta get up early and make myself beautiful too,” Taako said while unfurling from his cross-legged position.

“Good thing you have your work cut out for you.” Corny, terrible, but worth it for the grin that showed up on Taako’s face.

“Damn right I do, but my rugged good looks take a lot of maintenance. But anyway Krav, you kickin’ it here tonight?”

“Actually, I was going to go back to my motel room.” The look on his face fell just a little bit, and Kravitz was already reconsidering despite what he had said about wanting to head this off so he didn't get attached.

“Oh, alright,” Taako said as he laid himself back on his bed, grabbing onto Kravitz’s hand to pull him down with him, “Got time to fuck around before you go?”

“How could I say no?” Especially with the charming lighting making Taako’s skin glow so warmly, and the tranquil feeling in the room seeping into his bones the longer Kravitz had his eyes locked with his. That was the right answer if the pleased smile on Taako’s face had anything to say just before he pulled him down by his neck into a kiss. This was the most action Kravitz had gotten in quite a long time in the span of about a full twenty four hours, sure, but this was the most awake he'd felt during an encounter he'd probably ever had. He could feel his pulse buzzing underneath his skin, thrumming as their kisses got more heated, tongues touching.

Kravitz was the first one to make a move, almost overwhelmed with the need to touch and move his hands over soft curves; thick thighs making his mouth water as he got between them, moving to kneel between his legs, leaning over Taako. He kissed him harder as his hands wandered, but Taako was the one who separated to take his own shirt off, then tried making quick work of Kravitz’s shirt. He didn't let him get far though, just a couple of buttons undone before Kravitz immediately moved lower to kiss at his neck, down his collar, down to his nipples which he took one into his mouth and worried with his teeth and tongue. The sound Taako made was incredibly gratifying, a high pitched noise that got caught in his throat, followed by a ‘fuck’.

When he finally moved on from Taako’s chest, planting kisses down his soft middle, he thumbed at the waistband of Taako’s pajama pants and asked, “May I?”

“You're too polite my man, I'm so into this, just do whatever you want, k?”

Kravitz huffed a quiet laugh into his navel as he pulled down his bottoms, pants and silky undergarment all in one shot, Taako helping him by kicking the rest off. With everything out of the way, Kravitz looked down at him, the sight damn near picturesque, Taako laying bare beneath him. Kravitz moved down more so he could more easily duck his head between spread thighs, pressing his face against his semi-hard dick and inhaling. Not that he was a connoisseur of sweet smelling balls and dick sweat, but Taako’s brand was incredibly tolerable.

More importantly, his gorgeous thighs were open right on either side of his head, and Kravitz turned his face to bite at one gently, placing a kiss over the quickly fading red marks he left. He did the same all the way down to his knee, noting how Taako squirmed when he did that, so he did the same on the other side as well, kissing down and rubbing his knee. Kravitz loved the feeling of hands on his head, fingers taking gentle hold of his locs.

They were both impatient, Taako’s fingers twitching and guiding him back up, himself going right for taking Taako’s dick in one hand, pressing a kiss to the shaft. When Kravitz moved his lips to take the head into his mouth, Taako sighed out, “That's my shit, man.”

Kravitz tried not to laugh or otherwise catch his dick with his teeth, but he did hum as he went down on Taako. Up close, Taako’s cock was ridiculously pretty, if that was a word that could be used to describe a dick. It seemed to fit though, just like his mouth fit perfectly over it as he started sucking down, harder. Perfect size, perfect color to his skin, and Kravitz’s mouth had been on some truly stale, bitter tasting dicks in his time, but he couldn't get enough of this one, especially as Taako keened quietly and Kravitz tasted precum on his tongue. Popping his mouth off, he flattened his tongue against the head as his hand jerked the rest of him off.

His own dick was responding to every soft sigh and grunt Taako made as he went down again to suck him off, and really Kravitz couldn't remember the last time that pleasuring someone else got him hot under the collar. Taako bottomed out in his throat, almost making him gag, but Kravitz pushed his nose flush against the coarse hair at the base of Taako’s dick and felt a huge sense of pride about it. As he came back up to breathe, Kravitz took the chance to swipe his thumb into his saliva left behind, reaching down to rub his thumb against Taako’s hole. He had no grand ideas of penetration tonight, but the expletive that came from above was exactly what he wanted to hear as Taako squirmed against him.

Taako didn't take long to warn him that he was close, and Kravitz was sure to jerk him off into his mouth to prevent a mess. Not exactly what he thought he'd accomplish when he'd come into the room, but Taako looking at him in this soft lighting with blown pupils, looking completely debauched wasn't a bad outcome by any stretch of the imagination. Still, as Taako caught his breath, Kravitz’s resolutions came back to him about not getting so attached as he was, a sentiment that brought the awkwardness back into him as the seconds passed.

“I gotta keep you around Krav, you're amazing,” Taako said as he got up on his elbows so he could get himself upright.

“I, uh, I appreciate you saying that.”

Taako moved as if to bring him in for another kiss, and Kravitz knew that if they connected, he'd be done for. It kind of really sucked, the feeling he got when he moved away just enough, and Taako deflated just a little. “Yeah, I guess… I'm guessing you're gonna skip the wedding?”

“I'm not sure yet, everyone is saying I might hear more that will help me if I go, but I truly have a lot of work to do yet and a lot to follow up on, I can't spend an infinite amount of time here,” he winced even at his own words, and he didn't miss Taako crossing an arm over himself in a feeble attempt to cover up.

“Sure as hell can’t, my guy! I wouldn't wanna stay any longer in some hick place either,” his tone of voice implied he was brushing this off, but the look in his eyes betrayed him. Kravitz could see the doubt creep in. “Are you heading out?”

“It would be for the best,” Kravitz said as he looked away, pushing himself from the bed and starting to gather up his previous day’s clothing as well (already neatly folded in a pile, he noted, feeling entirely like an ass).

He heard Taako get up off the bed too, rustling for clothing most likely, “I’ll walk you out, then.”

The atmosphere of candles glowing around them seemed a little more cold now, and truly, Kravitz felt like he was making a misstep in his heart. His mind was telling him that he had a job to do, and a home to get back to once this was all over with. He had more to do, and more to get back to. Just because he found someone he was clicking incredibly well with didn’t mean that he could stop his life. He’d gone off course enough, and sure, he’d gotten more done with them, but there was an element of danger he could sense that he didn’t want to put anyone through. Furthermore, the fact that the tension could be cut with a knife was evidence enough that he needed to step back.

Yet, as he was leaving, he couldn’t help but feel another incredibly odd sensation, exiting through the door and feeling like he had walked into an invisible web, clinging to every edge of him and making it feel like it took ages to cross the doorway, as if hoping to keep him in place. A sense of unease hit him as soon as whatever metaphorical barrier had been crossed. His hair stood on end, skin almost itching as the negative feeling got stronger inside, creeping through his bones.

They exchanged their goodnights quietly, and Kravitz started the short journey back to his motel where he knew that once he got there, wouldn’t be nearly as warm and safe feeling.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey lads, i 100% didn't mean to leave you hanging for a literal month. holidays happened, then i was out of state, and i had a bunch of stuff happen at work, and i just could not find time to write whatsoever. y'all can thank [my friend kat](http://archiveofourown.org/users/tangobullets) for pushing me to write and for reading it over. this chapter isssss mostly edited, but now that i'm done i'm posting it so i can lay my bones to rest. i threw in a whole lotta spice as an apology for taking so long. and thank you everyone for the nice comments you leave me, i'm so happy this fic has had such a positive reaction :') ♥

The wedding was beautiful, church decorated to perfection for the joyous day even with the rough patch that Magnus had attempted to paint over on the wall at the side of the structure. Well, the wedding hadn't happened yet, but there Kravitz was sitting at the back of the church in the very last row. Every single seat in the church was taken up, a few people standing off to the sides of the aisles too and in the back, so it was lucky that he'd been able to seat himself. There were so many happy faces, lots of quiet murmuring and large smiles, a few watery eyes already even though the function hadn't started yet. A heartwarming sight, even if Kravitz felt a bit of discomfort since he was so clearly out of his element in a dark suit, standing out in the crowd of people.

Merle was at the forefront, donned in his pastor clothing and looking positively stifled by it. He didn't look unhappy though, looking as jovial as he'd ever seen him for the few times they had interacted, and he supposed the occasion warranted the good mood. Killian and Carey seemed to be very beloved amongst everyone, from what he could ascertain from the general atmosphere of excitement.

Only a bit more importantly he saw Taako closer to the front, having gone all out and sitting pretty in his seat looking near regal in his flowing blouse. He couldn't see his lower half of course, but based on his fashion sense and the showy style of clothing he'd seen him wear, it was clear that he was at the very least trying to show everyone in the room up, maybe even the brides themselves. Kravitz found it hard to not feel a bit infatuated try as he can to suppress the feeling, watching him lean against Magnus while saying something to him that was drowned out in the other quiet chatter. Magnus himself he could see wringing tissues in his hand, and from what little he knew of him, he hadn't expected him to be the sappy type, helpful as he was. Angus was missing, but he knew he'd see him walking down the aisle soon enough since he was no doubt part of the wedding. Otherwise, he had his eyes peeled for who he couldn't see, but of course he didn't know nearly enough of the town to ascertain that.

Unsurprisingly, he felt duped into this, and the discomfort increased, knowing he couldn't get up and leave at this point. He wasn't panicked, but he did feel a bit cornered. Taako had asked him to attend as did the others, and Kravitz had tossed and turned over it all night. He had gone from iffy, to definitely not coming, to almost forcing himself to do it. He wanted to remove himself from the situation, from these people who were bringing a lot of charm into his life where he’d been lacking. The line between business and pleasure had blurred so much in so little time, and there he was sitting, at a wedding hoping for a chance to speak with Taako.

Speak with him and apologize? Perhaps, especially for how he had blown him off after, well, blowing him. However, the point of that had been to create a little bit of distance, and it felt like a mistake coming here. A mistake that was too done of a deal to correct, especially as people went quiet and the wedding processional music started while the parents and the grandparents of the brides walked down the aisle to their seats, signaling the start.

That was the where the old traditional wedding order broke—the harbingers of wedding cheer came walking down the aisle together. They were all beautiful, the pairs wearing contrasting colors–a metallic steel blue on the left, and similarly metallic soft pink color that worked together beautifully. They separated onto the proper sides as they filed in, and they were followed by Angus at the tail end who by all means looked downright adorable in his fancy boy clothes, his little suit fitting perfectly, and his tie with an impeccable knot on it. His usual curly, wild hair was a bit more tame, but still springing all over the place atop his head as he walked down the aisle with a huge grin on his face, holding the rings on a plush pillow. A quick look to Taako and Magnus revealed the former clutching a hand to his chest, and the latter wringing his hands harder, effectively tearing his tissues in half while he watched Angus walking. When the boy passed them, Magnus threw him a thumbs up, making the kid positively glow.

Then the music started up for the bridal march, and Kravitz turned his head just in time to see the semi-familiar face of Carey as she was walked down the aisle, escorted by someone who looked to be around her age. She was wearing a suit that was just a bit darker of a blue than the corresponding wedding party people on her side of the hall, looking so happy she could barely contain it. As she walked further down, he noticed Magnus looking at her with shiny eyes, reaching underhand in the aisle for a discrete high five as she passed.

When Kravitz turned his head again toward the back of the church, he saw who could only be Killian, being escorted by an older woman who was probably her mother. She was huge, tall, muscled, looking like she could snap him in half. She was wearing a gorgeous, sparkling dress fit for a queen. White, with a bouquet of flowers that matched her corresponding wedding party. Looking at her left him breathless for just a moment, and suddenly he understood why there wasn't a dry eye in the whole church and why everyone was so damn happy, why everyone wanted this to be perfect. The way the brides looked at each other from across the room was like a moment in time stopped as they mailed at each other. Kravitz felt like he was intruding on a private moment, but similarly, everyone in the room was too in the same way.

Killian was taller than Carey by quite a bit, the difference almost comical, but together they made quite the pair. They were an attractive couple that couldn't stop smiling at each other even as Merle got into the speech itself before the vows. Kravitz heard many sniffles in the crowd, and he himself could feel the overwhelming sense of love in the room, nearly choking him. To his credit, he hadn't been to many weddings, but the ones he had been to had been lackluster, seeming out of obligation. Love itself was sort of foreign to him in this kind of format, two people loving each other and marrying because of that instead of some type of business commitment or because someone had been knocked up or other reasons. It was such a rare sight to see happiness on this scale, he truly wished them well in the future, and judging by how much others cared for them he knew they would be well.

As they said their almost sickeningly (in a good way) heartfelt, beautiful vows, Kravitz felt his heart tug, looking around and seeing others full on crying. His traitorous eyes landed on Taako who looked near unfazed by the blatant display of joyous affection, more visibly excited when Angus stepped up with the rings for the brides to exchange. A sweet moment caught in time as his eyes turned to Killian sliding the ring on Carey’s finger as she said, “I do,” as did Carey to Killian. Sealed with a kiss as everyone clapped, as others cried. A sentimentality that Kravitz could not understand in relation to himself, but something he knew in his lonely moments that he would yearn for. Sure, he was married to his work and rarely had the time for personal care, but something that would be nice. To come home to someone, to have a confidant that cared just as much about him.

As much as he had dragged his feet, he was glad to witness the happiness and overwhelming love in this room. It was refreshing to know that love was in abundance, especially coming from his own emotionally devoid life filled with crime and hard people who gave up on that sort of emotional frivolity. As the church bells tolled and as people filed out of the church with the happy couple on their way to the reception, Kravitz considered at this point trying to slink away, feeling like he had overstayed his outsider’s welcome. As he reached the door however, it was surprisingly Merle who pulled him away.

“Got a minute?”

“Hm?” Kravitz hung back a moment as everyone else wandered out, leaving them alone when the church doors closed.

“I don't know if you, uh, talked to Isaac, but apparently Cassidy's got this airtight alibi,” Merle looked reluctant to say it, and Kravitz could understand the sentiment of only because all the factors involved made sense. “He updated me on the progress of the investigation, but he's just as stumped as us. But even though she wasn't at work, she wasn’t at the church either.”

An interesting tidbit of information to hear, but now that they were alone, Kravitz said, “I wanted to ask you actually, now that we have the chance. When you accused her, you said that she had been here the previous night?” He remembered the venom and vitriol of the accusation, calling her a snake.

Merle shuffled a bit on his feet, tugging at his clerical collar a bit, “Right, uh, supposed to be a spiritual confidentiality thing. Can't tell you why, but yes, she was here. I might have been a little hasty accusing her, but it all came together like a perfect storm of shit, and she was the only one I could think of since she was the last one around here. But, yeah, can’t tell you why she was here.”

“I understand, and whatever it was probably isn't important to the investigation I’m conducting. But if she had an alibi, that leaves an enormous mystery as to who it was and how it was done,” Kravitz hummed to himself, mulling over the new bit of information. “Wasn't explosives, Cassidy didn't do it either.”

“Well when they're found, I'm gonna kick their asses,” Merle said as he kicked the air in demonstration.

“When they're found, they'll be apprehended and made to pay the damages, and you can press charges,” Kravitz emphasized with a chuckle. He could appreciate a good ass-kicking, but not while on duty. He preferred things be more by the books.

“Right, right. And then when that's done promise I can kick a little ass? Just a little, like a small ass kick to teach ‘em a little somethin’ somethin’?” Merle said with his voice lowered jokingly, or at least, Kravitz hoped was jokingly.

“We’ll see,” Kravitz said, turning toward the closed church door, interrupted as it opened.

Through stepped Magnus, raising a hand in greeting, “Kravitz,” nodding, then looking at Merle, “You coming?”

“Yeah yeah, we'll be along in a minute. I was chit-chatting about what Isaac told me this morning while you finished up.”

The ‘we’ caught Kravitz a bit off guard, but before he got a chance to decline, the door opened up again and in stepped Angus. Merle sighed with a contemptuous tone while Angus beamed up at them and in his usual cheery tone said, “Hello, sirs!”

“Kid, get outta here, this ain't a place for runts like you,” Merle said, sounding just the barest hint fond, but making a sour face at him.

“But, sirs–!”

Angus was interrupted by the door opening again and Taako walking in and saying, “Let’s get this show on the road, Taako is ready to drink and chow down on some of those sweet, sweet hors d’oeuvres while everyone’s being sappy,” walking up to them, he clapped his hands and continued, “Chop chop, can't show up by myself.”

“It wouldn't kill you,” Merle said while pushing Angus toward the door. Kravitz, for the briefest of moments, wondered what this dynamic was between all of them. There was a comfort there between them that was unexplained, but curious because in his experience even a pastor in a close knit town wasn't this informal.

It all felt like it was happening in the span of a single second, everyone entering back into the church and practically speaking over each other. If Kravitz were honest, it was overwhelming, and in general being surrounded by so many people just before during the ceremony was overwhelming too. The prospect of having to join all of them was, if he were even more honest with himself, a cause of a bit of panic.

Deep breaths while he tuned out the ensuing bickering between everyone. He wasn't normally so anxious, but, well, he wasn't really someone who sought to be in crowds or really who spent time with a lot of people in more than a one on one or maybe two context. Not that he was overstimulated enough to go into a full panic, not like in his youth when he'd had less of a handle on himself in relation to other people.

Breathe in.

Exhale.

It seemed this mystery was deepening even further without any explanations in sight. He was glad for the information from Merle to mull over, but he also realized that his purpose for coming was not fulfilled in that his intention of observing people had gone south immediately.

Breathe.

“Hey there kemosabe, you doin’ alright?” Taako said gently, touching his shoulder as he looked at him. It was enough to ground him back into reality, and Kravitz exhaled, his calmer heart and mind feeling much more soothed.

“Ah, yeah.”

“You coming with? It's fine if you bounce too, but I'm surprised you came! Not like, in a bad way, but I know you've got a lot to do, was expecting you to be doing that instead.”

“I'd be lying if I said I didn't spend hours going over the pros and cons,” Kravitz said quietly, noticing that they were alone now in the church. Somehow this felt easier in the wake of the beautiful decorations and with the light filtering in through the high windows just right. Well, what he was turning over in his head wasn't easy to get out, but he felt more at ease with just the two of them together in such a peaceful place; it took a moment to dredge up the courage to say, “And I'd also be lying if I said I didn't regret the… abrupt way I left you.”

“Oh, that? No sweat,” but Taako still moved away from him enough that his hand slipped from his shoulder. “I totally get it, you've got shit to do, and we barely know each other. And we're probably like, getting in the way of your shit which I'm totally good with like hanging back and letting you take it from here because that's your job and you don't need people on your shit left and right either. You're busy and I hundred percent understand,” he sounded like he was rambling, but there was a lot there that Kravitz felt immediately guilty about.

“Taako, that's not… that's not it. You're not getting in the way, in fact, I'm beyond words about how incredibly helpful you and Angus have been for me. It's incommunicable how much farther I have come with your help. We might barely know each other, but I–”

Taako interrupted him with, “Kravitz, darling, hold that thought because I don't think I'm sober enough to do this kinda honest conversation shit. Join me for a drink? Reception is right across the street.”

Good thing he did too, or else Kravitz might have said something he didn't want to say. Especially since he was about to say he had never felt quite so safe with someone before. Literally safe. From the moment he'd walked into his home until he walked out of it, he felt impervious to danger. There wasn't really a way to put that into words and still feel comfortable about the distance he was trying to keep. Instead, he nodded and said, “I'd like a drink.”

“Open bar, baby. Let's skedaddle.”

 

* * *

 

 

The short walk across the street led them into the reception which was just as beautifully decorated as the church had been. They had made a pit stop at the bar while everyone was settling down before making their way to their table. Taako had in fact squeezed a plus one out of Carey in time to save him a seat at the table, forcing Robbie to be rearranged to somewhere toward the back while they were sitting closer to the couple.

Kravitz was very glad for that drink, helping to mitigate his overthinking problem and helping him to focus instead on the wholehearted, sincere speeches from each bride’s person of honor. He rathered that than focusing on Taako who truly, once he saw him, was dressed to the nines. His blouse was even more flowey up front, decorated with various embroidery, and despite how cold the day was, he had a knee length skirt on, sheer stockings, and short boots. Kravitz could appreciate how good Taako looked, confirming that he wanted to show up everyone else here, and maybe especially the brides. Especially flashy, but Kravitz had a sneaking suspicion that's how he always rolled.

So much for not focusing on Taako.

At least the alcohol was free, the food genuinely good. What Kravitz could see was that while everyone was having a good time, nobody looked especially suspicious. Then again, he was hanging back while people went to dance which was the opposite of what he was intending on doing. Instead, time found him sitting at the bar near alone, toward the end of it while he watched the brides taking turns dancing with Angus and giving the poor kid some much needed outward affection. The kid was having a blast.

“Not gonna hit the floor? Bet you've got some smooth moves,” Taako said while sliding up into the seat next to him at the bar, almost making Kravitz jump out of his skin.

“Unfortunately, no,” Kravitz mumbled while tipping his glass back to his lips, ice hitting them as the liquid burned down his throat.

“Could've fooled me, my guy,” Taako said before taking the most delicate sip of his, frankly, overwhelmingly fruity smelling cocktail.

The innuendo wasn't lost on him, but Kravitz carried on, “I'm not much of a dancer.”

“Really? You seem to be the type to be super smooth at it.”

Kravitz considered that for a moment. He wasn't much for letting loose around others was more accurate, typically reserved. He could ballroom dance without making a fool of himself, maybe he could slow dance, but he'd rather not. Besides, he once had lofty dreams before coming into a different career. “Never was much for it, I like being on the other side of music.”

“Fair enough, I can drink to that,” and Taako clinked their glasses together.

There was silence between them besides Kravitz ordering another round for the two of them once they were dry. At least the silence was comfortable as slow jams came and went and the happy couple danced their reception away with their guests. He was the one to break the calm with, “Taako, you told me Angus isn't your son, but…”

“Yeah, fuckin’ weird, right? I'm a hedonistic deviant, but I never knocked anyone up. Picking Angus up… it just kinda happened, I guess. When I lived in Phandalin, I was next door to this ancient dude. I was out on my own after my aunt died, had a roommate who had a lot of anger issues but could be a total sweetheart, and then next door, this guy who was on death’s door from the moment he was born. And this–this is important, so keep it in mind. This was the kinda neighborhood where people were born off the grid and died off the grid. Señor Geriatric shows up outside one day with this infant. As far as I can remember, the kid’s parents had some horrible accident, and he was the only family left to this shitting, screaming little bundle of air horn cries,” Taako took a moment to tip his glass back, and Kravitz could already see the direction this was going in.

“He died?”

“Uh yeah, no shit. But he held on for like… two more years caring for the kid. Of all the shit he died of, it wasn't old age surprisingly. Got hit by a car crossing the road in the crosswalk–miracle the kid didn't get torn apart by the truck. Just a few scrapes. But, with grandpa dead, Angus would've been thrown into the system. I was lucky enough that I landed into a good home,” Taako paused instead of explaining, and Kravitz was able to come to the proper conclusion. Others he knew weren't so lucky, he could guess.

“You took him in.”

Taako nodded, taking a second to have a sip of his drink, “I did, and every day I regret it a little less.” Harsh words, but that seemed to be his personality overall. Harsh on the outside to make sure nobody thought he cared, but Kravitz knew he did. “Angus is so fucking smart, and he's got such a good future ahead of him. But when I literally was standing there watching this dinosaur get run down with this little kid crying just a hair away, I had to do something, y’know? Reminded me too much of myself as a shitty kid with no chance in the world, no skills. He does the kid detective thing which he’s good at, but he’s a hot shit with that big sharp brain of his. Tell him I said that and you might not wake up, comprende?”

Kravitz nodded, knowing that this conversation would not seep out to anyone else’s ears, especially with the bartender off flirting with another patron down the counter. Still, there were many questions Kravitz had about what he was being told, and he started with, “You said you were there?”

“Watched it with my own two eyes. Like I said, rundown neighborhood where people are born and where they die unnoticed. An ambulance came and picked his body up, but I… Shit, by then I’d had my roomie break down the door to his house to get Angus’ shit, and whatever else we could find.”

“Nobody noticed him gone?”

“I’m gonna have to like… get you to swear that as a man of the law, none of this shit’s gonna come back on me.”

“Scout’s honor,” and Kravitz held up his fingers in a mock salute. “I’m setting business aside, but I do thank you for the honesty. It’s,” weird, his mind supplied. Truly weird for him to ask these sorts of questions, and in general to just get to know someone this well in so little time. His pause was momentary before he picked back up with, “...refreshing, I think, that you’re speaking with such sincerity. Especially because we don’t know each other that well.”

“Well Krav, I guess I trust you enough. You’re like… the only dude I’ve ever banged that even looked twice at my kid.” The frankness of the statement had Kravitz genuinely barking out a laugh in surprise, definitely not expecting that. Taako was smirking, but he continued, “Nobody noticed, in fact, I think anyone who stuck their snotty noses outside on our block when the ambulance came were glad the kid problem was solved by me because the single time I let my heart bleed, I ended up with a life commitment,” pausing for a dainty sip, “I had nothing going for me, and my roommate had family here. So, I said fuck it. I didn’t wanna die and leave Ango to struggle on the streets like I did growing up. So, here I came, like twenty years old, three year old kid on my hip, relocating to this rathole.”

“To clarify, we’re not talking about Magnus.”

“Oh, _gods_ no, but me and the roomboy lived next door to Mango and his wife, which is a whole ‘nother story I’m gonna save for later. Making a long story short, roomie bounced, had another roomie move in that fucked me over, Magnus’ thing happened, and we ended up moving in together for money’s sake and so Angus could have a more stable household, y’know?”

“All this, but I do have to ask for curiosity’s sake. Is it legal?”

“Don’t worry, I got my shit together and did the adoption and made sure, but boy genius apparently’s got this super good memory so he remembers his grandfather and the shit that happened. So, he knows. It’s not like it’s a surprise. And I really fuckin’ struggle trying to be like… a parent figure. I’m not good at it, but he _knows_ and he works with me,” Taako turned around and put his glass down on the counter, waiving the bartender over and ordering himself up another cocktail, waiting until he had it in his hand before he turned back around and leaned back on one elbow.

Kravitz wasn’t going to say anything about his skills as a parent, because that was not his place to judge whether or not he was a good one, because he knew Taako kept him fed and clothed. The affection thing was lacking, but the dynamic seemed to work out, and as he looked out on the dance floor, he was having fun and it was clear he was well loved.

Taako softly elbowed him in the side after an extended moment in his own head, and Kravitz turned as he said, “What about you stud? What kinda dark past you got?”

“Me? Um, personally, I’m not sure. I know everyone has skeletons in their closet, but mine are very mild mannered at best.”

“Well like, tell me about yourself! Did you always want to be a detective? Got any family? Watch any strangers die and adopt their kids?”

Kravitz chuckled and said, “I can tell you right now I definitely didn’t adopt the kids of all the strangers I’ve unfortunately seen die. And I really don’t have many surviving family members, none that I’m close to anyway.” Pausing, he hummed, trying to decide what exactly he could say about himself. There wasn’t that much, besides, “I suppose I didn’t always want to be a detective, but it happened. When I was a child, I wanted to be a conductor, I suppose.”

“Train orrrrr music?”

“Orchestral. Like I said, I’m not good at dancing, I’m on the other side of music. I played piano for a while, and I was… decent. Not good, but decent.”

“Bullshit, you’ve got some bomb fingers on you Krav,” and as if to try and prove his point, Taako grabbed his hand and pressed their palms together, “Look at my chode fingers and compare, my guy. No way you’re not graceful as fuck, riding those sick note waves with these digits.”

Kravitz couldn’t help laughing at the ridiculousness of what Taako said, even if his disloyal heart started beating just a touch harder at the skin contact. “I would have been excellent at it, had I had time to practice more. My parents both fell ill when I was just leaving school, but I had to care for them until their deaths. After that, the detective thing happened, and I was almost supernaturally good at it, so music became a memory.”

“Well that fuckin’ sucks. Ever thought about doing it again?”

“At this point, not particularly. I’ve lost my touch with it, and I’m much better at what I do now.” His heart panged softly at his lost dream, his youth that had passed long ago. Of course, he wouldn’t change a thing about his past even if he could, because he certainly wouldn’t be sitting here. Taako wouldn’t be threading their fingers together nonchalantly, and he wouldn’t be smoothing his thumb over Taako’s soft skin. “I’m not sure what else there is about me that’s interesting.”

“I know you don’t think so, but you’re the most interesting person in this stupid room right now.”

Before he could stop himself, he said, “In comparison to you? Not likely.”

“See, that’s what I mean Krav. You’ve got some smooth moves,” Taako downed the rest of his glass before putting it behind him, as did Kravitz with his own. “Think we’ll sober up enough by the time we go back to your crash pad to get super freaky and do summa that nasty? I mean, if you wanna. Because _I_ wanna.”

He was almost caught by surprise, mulling it over quietly. It was getting later by the second, the sun already set. Just how long had they been there again? Not that it truly mattered, Kravitz knew the rest of the day wouldn’t have anything in store for him. Kravitz would refrain from saying it was wasted, though.

“What about Angus?”

“Maggie’ll take him home, he’ll be good for it.”

 

* * *

 

  
The walk to the motel hadn’t been long, thankfully. Kravitz had left his car at the church at Taako’s insistence, which he would have to go pick up later, but he was unconcerned. Taako had somehow procured a bottle of wine just before they’d left, and Kravitz held onto it with one hand, the other arm taken up by Taako holding onto it. The air outside was cold, almost bitterly so, and by the time they arrived back at the motel, at least he felt frozen through. Taako’s coat was enormous and gaudy, almost like the manufacturer had taken his likeness and squeezed his essence out into the design. It was perfect.

As soon as they entered, the coat came off as Kravitz turned the lamp on, and he heard Taako make the most delighted sound before he said, “I’m going to steal this chair, Krav.”

“Please don’t.” Turning around, he saw Taako sitting in the garish purple vinyl armchair, coat draped over one of the arms. Kravitz didn’t have a better response to that, rather, watching him as he took his boots off. As it turned out, the sheer stockings were knee-highs, evident from how Taako’s skirt rode up, exposing skin. His mouth turned dry and his mouth watered at the same time, what better time to amorously open the wine bottle with his car keys, for lack of a corkscrew.

“That’s what I’m _talkin_ ’ about, Krav. That’s the way to my heart, gimme that,” Taako got up from the chair, stalking over to the bed where Kravitz had sat himself. Cork stuck in his keys for now, Taako took them from him and tossed them on the gaudy chair to take care of later. Then he took the bottle from him by the neck, “Got any glasses?”

“Afraid of germs if we share?”

“Funny,” Taako said before they proceeded to sit back on the bed together up against the headboard, old black and white television fuzzing in and out with the terrible reception on the outdated box. They were able to catch the end of Jeopardy where they both combined knew a surprising amount of stuff. Taako about pop culture, and himself about other useless geographical and historical facts.

If Kravitz were honest, besides hanging out with Angus to watch wrestling the previous night, this was the first time he’d really sat back and relaxed in a long time. Granted, he was getting wine drunk with someone who was incredibly captivating, and who was nestled right up against him without a care in the world. He could not stop thinking about their conversation from earlier, however, having more pieces of the puzzle that was Taako and his life with a child. His incredibly strange life, in a strange town that he was going to crack the case on.

For now, he was content to sit like this. Kravitz had since rolled up the sleeves on his shirt, and Taako was loosely holding his hand with their fingers interlaced. His tie had been flung off the bed already, and he was currently in the middle of single handedly unbuttoning his shirt mostly for comfort’s sake, but because he was feeling very warm as well. He just wasn’t sure if it was inside, outside, or both.

“Gonna save some of that for me?”

Kravitz stopped mid-unbuttoning, letting his hand drop to his stomach, chuckling, “The wine, or the shirt?” The bottle itself was in the crook of his arm, balanced perfectly to prevent spilling, though it was almost empty at this point.

“The shirt, handsome,” Taako pushed himself up with his elbows, reaching over Kravitz for the bottle of wine to polish it off, setting the empty glass bottle on the nightstand next to the lamp. The dim lighting reminded him sorely of walking into Taako’s room the previous night, and of what had transpired afterward. Even in the dingy motel room with a flickering television in the background, and the lamp light itself dull, Taako looked incredible climbing into his lap. To accomplish that, his skirt ended up rucked up his thighs, giving Kravitz a glance of colorful panties underneath that his fingers itched to touch.

Now, though, his buttons were being undone by other fingers, his shirt ending up untucked from his trousers while Taako leaned in to kiss him. The kiss itself was entirely unhurried, knowing they had all the time in the world without any worry of being interrupted. Slow, tasting like cheap wine. He helped Taako in removing his shirt from his shoulders, garment tossed somewhere off the bed as well while hands braced against his chest. His own hands came to settle on Taako’s waist, earning him a sigh against his lips.

This was pleasant, feeling Taako’s weight on top of him rest comfortably, being buzzed from the wine, feeling himself flood with warmth after spending the previous night feeling so frigidly cold. It was too late to take the actions back, the abrupt end to their encounter, but he wasn't too late to make it up to Taako tonight. Kravitz felt a bit hopeless, knowing he had made a decision to try and keep his distance, but he was already so attached. Taako wasn't the first person to roll up and show him a bit of affection, but he was the first person who he couldn't really get out of his head. A shame, because his intent once he was done here was to leave, of course, and go back to where he was situated. It wasn't a negative thought, just a fact. Kravitz was determined to enjoy this, with this person he would remember so very fondly.

Fondly, like how he was fondly pushing his hands up Taako’s shirt, both thumbs pressing against his nipples and rubbing in circles. Taako detached his mouth from him and said, “Touching my nips makes me like four times more horny cowboy,” following it up with untucking his flowey shirt and pulling it over his head, thrown off the bed to join his in clothing purgatory. “You got any kinda lube?”

The frankness of his question made Kravitz pause for a second, thinking while admiring how unabashed Taako was. “I've got lotion in my suitcase,” Kravitz motioned with his head toward the floor next to the purple vinyl chair.

“Good enough,” and Taako slinked off of him, going for Kravitz’s suitcase and pulling it up to rest on the chair while he dug through it. Sure enough, he came back with the tube in hand as he said, “I'm glad you get the good shit.”

“Only the best for my skin, and I suppose for your ass.”

“Damn straight,” Taako said, tossing it on the bed next to Kravitz’s hip, climbing back atop him. He didn't get right back to it quite yet, coming to rest on him and grabbing his hands, threading their fingers. “I dunno what you think of me, but I think you're fuckin’ amazing, Krav. Like, fuck, how _mushy_ is _that_? I don't get hung up on people, and people don't really stick around me either. Half because of the kid, half because I'm annoying and self centered and straight up dumb. I’m not good at this kinda weird heart-to-heart yacking, so you can like ignore this spiel too.”

Kravitz could feel his own breath hitch while he watched Taako flush ever so lightly as he, but he still mustered up enough will to reply, “I don't think you're any of those things–”

“Whoa there, not asking for the compliment train to choo choo into me, as much as I thrive on them, all I'm saying is I feel weirdly drawn to you and I cannot explain that shit for the life of me. And I know it's been like one whole fuckin' day and shit and I don't wanna make this casual thing we got _weird_ or anything because of my dumb ass…”

Between them hung a heavy silence, stretching almost into uncomfortable territory after the outburst. Kravitz didn't dare break eye contact, even when he pulled Taako's hands toward himself, pressing his lips to fingers still laced with his. “For what it's worth,” mumbling into Taako's knuckles as he moved to the opposite hand to repeat his kisses, “I think you're amazing too, and you give yourself far too little credit.” Words coming to him before he could stop them, but it was the truth.

“Krav, you better knock that fuckin’ corny shit off before I go nuclear, waaaoooowza,” Taako said, pulling his hands away and pointedly looking anywhere but at him.

He wondered what made him do that, what made him say that as well. If he was trying to keep a certain distance, he was doing a terrible job of it. In fact, the semi-bashful expression on Taako's face had him feeling a bit smug, definitely satisfied. Kravitz watched Taako scoot down onto his thighs, reaching forward to grab his dick through his trousers, shifting a little more back into the mood. Kravitz couldn't keep his eyes off him if he tried, though. Not while Taako was making quick work of unzipping him, shoving his trousers down along with his briefs.

“Straight to work?”

“No bullshit, I'm ready to ride your dick into the nut sunset, my guy,” Taako said almost far too casually for a phrase that sat hideously in his ears.

“Nut sunset?”

Taako didn’t dignify him with a response to that, and Kravitz watched almost helplessly, just barely helping Taako along with kicking his own clothing off. His hands were batted away when he reached for Taako’s skirt, which was almost disappointing until Taako got on his knees to unzip the back, maneuvering around to take it off, leaving him in the most horrid neon green panties and his stockings.

“That's… an interesting shade of green.”

“Innit?” Taako hadn't climbed back on him yet, but Kravitz leaned forward and grabbed his hips, slipping his thumbs under the fabric and tugging down while keeping eye contact for a pause. Taako seemed a bit breathless when he said, “Hey there tiger.”

“Hey.” Kravitz ended up gently pushing him down onto his back, grabbing for the lotion with one hand and tugging Taako’s atrocious pantries further down with the other. “Sorry I don't have anything better.”

“If we'd bumped at my casa, I've got lube. But you gotta invest in a travel bottle, you jack it with lotion?”

“Wasn't expecting to masturbate, definitely not have any kind of intercourse,” he paused, the cap popping was loud in the room, but Kravitz was more concerned with the actual musical giggle Taako made in response to him. It caught him right off guard and went straight to his heart, a sound he was committing to memory. Still, he tried playing it cool, “Something funny?”

“You're so proper, fuckin’, ‘intercourse’,” Taako snickered again, and for a moment the spike of doubt must have showed on his face, because he followed up with, “I mean that in the you're really fuckin’ cute and I think it's great way, I swear.”

“Right,” Kravitz, having coated his fingers in enough lotion, lowered himself down a bit more to catch Taako in a kiss that felt far too fond for their relationship. In turn, Taako grabbed the sides of his face, ending up pushing his fingers into his hair between his locs.

“You gonna finger blast me sometime today champ?” Spoken against his lips, and Kravitz was more than happy to oblige by pushing his fingertips against him, then shoving one finger in slowly, right down to the knuckle. The one finger sliding in with little resistance made Taako squirm down on him needily, and Kravitz pulled it out and shoved a second one in not long after. “Mm, Krav, baby, that's the good stuff,” Taako said as his head pushed back into the mattress, hands coming to rest on his shoulders.

“Do you like it fast or slow?”

“I like it big and thick and fast and hard, babe. I'm a toooootal size queen, and I want your meat in me like… yesterday. Literally I wanted it yesterday. And the day before,” Taako pushed his hips up to meet his hand, Kravitz having set a moderate pace. Truthfully, the feel of Taako around his fingers was making him far too hot under the collar even if technically he was nude.

“My apologies for making you wait so long for it,” Kravitz continued with his pace, crooking his fingers toward himself and feeling Taako tremble a bit while he keened. “Can I do something to make it up to you?”

“Buddy you're doing it.”

A third finger joined, making Taako’s fingernails dig into his skin, but one look at him gave Kravitz all the erotic masturbation fantasy material he might ever need. Lidded eyes staring up at him, lips puffy and semi-wet with saliva, flush across his cheeks and chest heaving a bit. Skin framed by his darker hair, framed by the cheap hotel sheets. A perfect, pretty picture that was made better by the quasi-fucked out look taking hold of Taako’s features before he ever had his cock in him.

“Krav, honey, you're doing the _most_ right now and I appreciate it, but if you keep it up I'm gonna bust. I've got my heart set on sitting on your dick.”

“You're ready?”

“Y’know how some people are born for their cool shit? My ass was born to take your beef and then surf on the nut wave. Sit back, darling,” said with a brand of seriousness that Kravitz stopped himself from laughing at. Taako sat up, and Kravitz wiped his fingers on the sheet as he moved back up to rest against the headboard, doing as he was told. Taako grabbed the lotion again and uncapped it, squeezing some out onto his fingers as he looked at Kravitz. “My ass is gonna smell like cocoa butter for like a week.”

“Is that the worst thing that could happen?”

“The worst, most tragic, thing that's happening right now and has ever happened to me is your dick not being in my ass,” and Kravitz was the unfortunate recipient of cold lotion slathering over his cock, but Taako jerking off what was already a semi quickly warmed him up. Taako was more impatient than he was, but Kravitz was quick to get stiff enough to not slip out immediately. It helped that Taako hadn't taken his stockings off–he'd never known that he was a stockings kinda guy, but Taako seemed to embody everything that he was attracted to. As soon as Taako lined his dick up to his hole, Kravitz knew he was a goner, watching and feeling him sink down onto his length.

Kravitz’s hands quickly moved to Taako’s thighs, holding on as they both adjusted—Kravitz adjusted his position and sat up and pressed back more against the headboard, and Taako to his size. Fully seated, Taako rocked his hips down, hands coming up to Kravitz’s shoulders to get his balance. They set a pace that worked for both of them, Taako leaning into him as he rolled his hips with Kravitz pushing his own up against Taako’s. For being so chatty, neither of them spoke much as they got into it, chasing the euphoria of their shared passion, or maybe as Taako would put it, chasing the ‘nut’.

As their movements increased, Kravitz couldn’t keep his hands to himself, touching Taako every which way he could. His thighs, his hips, holding onto his arms as he adjusted his position, spreading his legs so he could go deeper. Similarly, he couldn’t keep his mouth from seeking Taako’s, tangling them in near breathless kisses, breaking for air and sucking dark spots into Taako’s skin on his throat, on his shoulders. His hands came to rest on Taako’s shoulders, arms curled around his back for leverage as he pulled him down against his pelvis, grinding up into him as Taako moaned loudly enough that if there _had_ been someone staying in the room next door, surely they’d have a noise complaint by now.

Kravitz felt like he was going to disintegrate any moment, wound so tight with pleasure that as his dick thrust up into Taako he was convinced that he’d be riding the nut wave right into the nut sunset along with him. A thought that had him laughing quietly into Taako’s neck.

Taako sounded winded as he asked, “What’s so funny?”

“Thinking about the ridiculousness of the nut wave, darling,” Kravitz said just as out of breath.

Just what was needed to break the seriousness of the trance both of them had been in, moving in tandem halting as Taako collapsed against him in a fit of guffawing. A sound that Kravitz had not expected in the slightest, but he was so delighted to hear. If he were honest, it made his heart flutter a bit in his chest as the sound tapered off.

“Say it again Krav, please say that shit again, I'm begging you,” Taako said almost breathless from laughing as pulled back enough to look him in the eyes.

“Nut wave,” Kravitz said holding the straightest face he could until he saw Taako crack, shoving his face into Kravitz's neck to muffle himself.

Taako’s hips settling down on his was a good reminder that he was close enough to be frustrated, but he knew Taako was done in his quest for orgasm from the top, so Kravitz took it upon himself to flip them over. Try as he might to make it so his dick didn't slip out, it still did in the transition. Taako looked up at him with a positively dopey look that set him aflame with affection, all smudged eye makeup and glowing in a way Kravitz couldn't fathom was natural (lipstick still intact?).

“Hey, Kravitz,” his full name got his attention, but it was followed up with hands on his neck tugging him downward rather than words, pulled into a kiss. Slow, kinda sweet, and he couldn't help grinning into it when Taako said, “Love that sugar,” against him. He'd examine the way he felt like a high schooler with a budding crush far later, instead grabbing for his dick and guiding it back into Taako. His reward was a moan from Taako that went straight through him, settling at the base of his spine and setting his nerves on fire.

This time he went hard, fast, dragging sound after sound from Taako that Kravitz was trying to commit to memory. Between that and the lewd sound of skin slipping together amidst heavy panting and soft cursing, it was pure overload watching Taako grab his own dick to jerk himself off while his other hand went to pinching his nipple. Kravitz had straightened up to get a better angle, pushing Taako's thighs up and back toward his chest as far as they would go.

He was the first to release with a deep, almost guttural sound, pushing his hips hard against Taako's. An orgasm so unbelievably satisfying, almost crossing into overstimulating himself as he rocked his hips in time with Taako jerking himself off until he felt him clamp down on his cock. Kravitz lowered himself onto him after a moment, content and comfortable even with the rapidly cooling cum between them probably turning into glue.

If this was his fate, Kravitz would accept it.

Still, Kravitz didn't want to wait for it to become a mess on the sheets once his dick went soft and he slipped out along with his fluids, so he made quick work of going to get a towel and cleaning both of them up. Settling back down was more easy then Kravitz wanted to admit, finally turning the television off and Kravitz reaching for the lamp moments later.

Once it was dark with only the dim lighting of the lit sign of the motel outside just barely filtering through the curtains. Taako was curled up against him, already out like a light after the brief interlude asking if they'd saved any wine, having forgotten that he'd drank the rest of it. The silence of the night and the low buzz of distant electricity did a lot to slow his thoughts, but that didn't stop him from trying to analyze his thoughts about the person whose hair his fingers was sifting through. Yeah, so much for distance. If that had been his goal, having the most fun, satisfying sex of his life was the polar opposite outcome. Not that he minded at this precise moment, especially with the calmness he felt.

In comparison to the previous night’s chill, Kravitz felt a sense of warmth that had nothing to do with the temperature. He felt safe, and to some degree protected. It reminded him of the feeling of leaving Taako's house and the absence of that emotion deep within him, present again and nearly suffocating Kravitz.

As his eyes grew heavier, Kravitz settled in to rest against Taako, leaving the emotions welled up inside of him dormant in favor of dreams.

 

* * *

 

  
Some part of Kravitz wished he was still in bed, a very large part of him that had experienced just a taste of comfort and compassion and now he was craving it like a bad addiction. Certainly it would be a better fate for him than his current one, wasting the morning away in annoyance, drowning in the unrelenting downpour he found himself in with no umbrella in just barely above freezing temperatures, still managing to chill him down to his bones. While the previous day had been just a touch cold, sunny, and overall a nice late autumn day, he could swear that sleet was threatening to not him down further.

He'd woken up to the sound of Taako in the shower, bed still warm beside him. The calm and quiet had been soothing, lulling him into a comfortable doze as he heard the sounds of rain hitting pavement outside. When Taako had reappeared, he'd informed him that the skies outside had opened up as if he couldn't hear it and, quote, “I’m not fuckin’ going outside in that bullshit. Can you go get your car? I gotta get to work in like half an hour,” kiss to his cheek, “You're a doll, babe.” Kravitz felt like a bit of a dunce, knowing there was literally no way he could say no without either drawing some sort of ire or without feeling like a terrible person.

The walk itself was short, sure, but he was a drowned rat by the time he made it there, pulling his keys from where he'd stuffed them into his pocket. The cork from the wine bottle was still dangling on the ring, and Kravitz had to expend a horrid amount of effort to get it off so he could get out of the flood from the heavens. Of course his weird faux-romantic wine opening gesture came back to bite his ass four times over. When he was finally in his car, sopping wet, to top it all off his car took six tries to start which was the last thing he needed, his battery to go.

He didn't even know what time it was, and his dashboard clock was busted, but it felt like he was on another planet while he sat idling, hoping the fabric of his seats didn't absorb all his moisture and reek of mildew for the next eight months. It was just barely morning, and if the sun was up, it was nowhere to be found. Still dark in a way that rainy days tended to be with the thick, dark clouds masking the sky. Whether it was truly the weather being unpredictable or whether it was a side effect of the town itself being bizarre, there was something in himself that didn't want to believe this freezing rain was natural. He felt like he was in the wrong dimension.

Kravitz didn't even know what his plans were going to be for the day. He'd selfishly expected to maybe have a bit of lazy pleasure with Taako, but that was not in the cards. It was only a minute before he was back at the motel, Taako standing under the awning over the door while Kravitz pulled up parallel to him so he could get in without getting too wet. It was near silent, quick work driving him home.

He did get a rather nice kiss though, Taako cupping his cheek and turning his head to give him a kiss that warmed him to his toes.

“Can you drive me over? I gotta change first.”

“Kravitz, personal valet at your service.”

So, Kravitz waited while the rain continued, sitting back in his seat sifting through what information he did have. Would it be best to seek Isaac out? He had the update on the case from Merle the previous day, but there were so many starting points that it was enough to make his head spin. The last thing he wanted was another lead without a tie into anything else. Something had to let up and give him a clue, even if this rain was pounding on the hood of his car with no end in sight.

Taako came back outside quicker than Kravitz thought he would, different clothes on under a raincoat, two umbrellas in hand. One of them was very plain, a dark blue color and as standard as umbrellas came. The other was a garish yellow color with red-orange trim, the handle itself was wooden from what he could see. It looked flimsy at best, like a strong wind could tear a hole in the vinyl, or like it could be snapped in half at a moment's notice.

Kravitz paid attention instead to the road, the rain somehow coming down even harder as he heard the roll of thunder in the distance. So that's what kind of day this was going to be.

Stopped in the parking lot of the diner, the lights weren't even on inside, and Taako sighed and said, “I doubt anyone's gonna come out in this rain, shit, the line cook ain't even waiting here yet. But if we don't at least pretend to be open, boss won't like it.” Kravitz hesitated just the same as Taako did, but Taako was the one to take his hand, threading their fingers for a few moments. “Hey, homie, I'm gonna let you borrow this,” with his other hand, Taako picked up the handle of the gaudy umbrella, “And you can give it back to me later.”

“I don't think yellow is quite my color,” Kravitz said, letting Taako’s hand go and grabbing it anyway.

“It's a good umbrella, it'll keep you safe,” Taako looked unsure for a second, “S-safe and dry, am I right? This doesn't look like it's gonna let up anytime soon, and you should probably go change before you catch cold or some shit.”

The umbrella itself, as he was holding it, as strange as it sounded, a feeling of calm crept through his bones inch by inch. The word ‘safe’ stuck out in his head, reminding him of the feeling of falling asleep together, of the moments of security before stepping outside the bubble of Taako’s home previously. Fingers dragging across the handle, he could feel carvings in it, something he would inspect more later. Not now when Taako was moving across the seat to get in close, turning his head again to kiss him soundly, lingering long enough to make Kravitz follow just barely as he pulled back.

“Take care of yourself today, okay?” Taako said as he gathered himself together, sounding like he was sending a kid off to school rather than however Kravitz felt the words really meant, “And if you like… aren't sick of me yet, you can come over later if you want, I dunno.”

“What time are you off?”

“Three, but I've got some shit to do after work. Let's say I'll be free around six, or something.”

“I'll keep it  in mind.”

Taako smiled almost timidly as he opened the car door, umbrella opening up as he exited and headed for the door of the diner. Kravitz waited until he was inside and the neon trim lit up as if marking the establishment as a safe haven with it's almost annoying pink glow as the beacon. In the absence of his presence, there was a bit of a hollow feeling, Kravitz almost feeling like he was on another plane of existence as he went back to his motel room to change out of his wet clothes, hanging the soaked garments over the rod in the shower.

A shower and a fresh set of clothing was what he needed to feel like a person, and he was grateful for the main office having a coffee machine, and for Tom offering him a cup.

“Checking out?”

“Actually, extending my stay. As it turns out, my business is keeping me longer than I thought. If I pay for a week upfront, how much is that?”

The burn of coffee in his stomach, charge card leaving him just a tad more in debt, and miserable in the rain, Kravitz set out for the sheriff’s station. He decided on asking him more about the case, and he hoped that this time, he wouldn't go around in circles.

 

* * *

 

 

The station was down the road from the diner, on the same side of the street, but the side of the building was facing the road. The entrance itself was a quick turn into the parking lot which was thankfully near empty which allowed him to park close to the door. Kravitz was debating whether or not to run to the entrance or to use the ridiculous umbrella since it was so close to the entrance. The desire to stay dry eventually won out, and he opened the offending accessory as he stepped out of his car. The umbrella itself was surprisingly sturdy in his hands, doing its job of shielding him from the elements without ripping like he thought it would, but that wasn't the weird part. More than that, the same feeling of calmness washed over him that he felt around Taako himself, that in itself Kravitz chalked up to thinking about him while holding it.

When he stepped into the station, Kravitz knocked the water off best he could by tapping it on the ground. He held it in his hand as he walked up to the desk where the clerk was staring at him.

“Is Isaac in?”

“He's in his office in the back…” She paused for a second before inquiring, “Isn't that Taako’s umbrella?”

“This? Ah, he let me borrow it.”

“I see,” she looked skeptical as she said it, and Kravitz felt many times more awkward as he stood there. “Anyway he's in back, take a right at the last desk in the row, first door on the left,” she said as she gestured to her side, and Kravitz made his way through the neat row of precinct desks that looked largely unused.

He took the right, then the left into the office. Isaac looked up at him from a newspaper, eyeing him suspiciously as he said, “Ain't that Taako’s umbrella?”

“He let me borrow it this morning to combat the rain, I didn't know it would make me stand out so much.”

“I know it ain't my business who you choose to shack up with, but Taako?” Isaac laughed to himself quietly, and before Kravitz could get a word in otherwise, he continued, “So what can I do for you?”

“Well, I spoke to Merle yesterday and he told me that Cassidy had a solid alibi, and I'm not sure how it's connected to my case. I was wondering if you could share the details, it seems relevant, somehow,” Kravitz said as he took a seat in one of the chairs across from Isaac.

“Cassidy? She was around the corner at the bank at the time, got both tellers confirming it.”

Simple enough, clearing her from the case, and Kravitz didn’t have a hard time believing it. “I see, it’s just very curious for other reasons, namely, when I was doing an investigation of the crime scene as Magnus was helping clean it up, we discovered that it wasn’t a blast. At least, not an explosive that left behind any evidence. Do you have any other leads?”

“Right now? Not really. ‘Tween you’n’me, gonna chalk it up as a weird accident. It’s already all fixed up, can’t find anything else. Merle is gonna have to live with a mismatched wall, I think.”

“Something clearly happened though,” Kravitz said, feeling a little exasperated, “You're not going to investigate this further?”

“Detective, I know you're floating through, and I know you got a job to do, but you realize that I know every single person in this town by name, right? Everyone knows everyone's name, and I can't think of a single soul who would do something like that. Nothing happens in Balance Valley, and the most I've done in the past three years is find a lost dog.”

“There has to be an explanation–”

“And I'm sure it explains what happened, but I'm not going on a manhunt for an isolated incident, now, is that all you had to ask me?” He was being brushed off, and it was clear Isaac was done with the conversation, but Kravitz tried to salvage it.

“I'm not trying to argue, all I'm saying is that whatever happened to the church is a clue to something that I'm not getting because I'm not familiar with this town and the people who live here. I can understand not wanting to expend resources, especially in this weather. I'm not asking you to do anything–”

“Good,” Isaac interrupted, “I'm not gonna do anything. Got this crossword puzzle I've been tryna crack for an hour, I'd like to get back to it.”

“Right, my apologies for the interruption, I'll see myself out,” Kravitz said as he got up, leaving the office the same way he came. So much for new information, especially because Isaac wasn't going to investigate any further.

As he made his way past the front desk and took a look outside the station doors, he noticed that the sky was lighting up in the distance, soft rolls of thunder making their way closer now. Umbrella at the ready, Kravitz braved his way back to his car, sitting in the seat that was still a little too moist for his comfort. Nevertheless, that had been a waste of time, and he made a mental note to go visit Taako later on only because he had no doubt Angus had kept a keen eye out for people at the wedding. More specifically, _not_ at the wedding, which might give him some more insight.

Going back to the lake was out of the question. Cassidy was clear of guilt from whatever happened at the church, of which any remaining evidence would be washed away in this rain. Going to the Miller’s house was out of the question as well without something more concrete to warrant it.

The wheels stopped turning in Kravitz’s head for a moment, creaking while he tried to get the gears turning again. It was like he was forgetting something important, his brain skipping, and skipping, and skipping, like a compact disc scratched on cement and put into the disc player. Almost like his brain was filled with static, fuzzing over as he tried to connect his thoughts.

Kravitz heard another bout of thunder, a little louder this time. Balance Valley held true to being a valley; as the storm closed in, rolling through the hills impressively. As he looked out the car window, the sky seemed even darker before lighting back up, crash of thunder far closer than before. This storm seemed to be especially dangerous, something that Kravitz didn’t want to be outside for, especially not in his car if the storm was intending to go right overhead.

He spared a look at the umbrella, thinking back to how strangely Taako had said it would keep him safe. Picking up the handle again, he examined the carvings on it that he could not make out. They seemed to be symbols of some sort, but nothing he could easily recognize. Still, as far as umbrellas went, it still looked flimsy.

Safety, like the feeling he got when he was around Taako. Safety like what he’d felt the absence of as he left Taako’s house a couple of days ago.

Lucas was lying about something.

Taako’s windowsills filled with crystals—

Paloma.

Lightning struck across the street so terrifyingly close as Paloma’s name came to mind, throwing the cogs back into motion in his thoughts. The boom was immediate, almost deafening, but Kravitz paused almost dumbfounded to see the sign on the adjacent building: Paloma’s Prophetic Pastries.

Kravitz _had_ to go in there.

Despite the strike of lightning so close, Kravitz grabbed the umbrella without second thought and opened the car door, umbrella coming up to shield him from the rain. As his fingertips rubbed over the symbols carved into the hand, he felt the same refuge, almost a warmth blossoming in his chest and spreading through his body. He made his way under the awning, closing the umbrella and shaking the water off as best he could before stepping inside.

As soon as the amazing scent of fresh baked goods hit him, he realized he hadn’t eaten yet. The shop was small, but seemed very cozy for how cramped it was. The left half was the bakery counter which displayed cakes, pies, cupcakes, and many other treats. More curiously though, was the assortment of crystals on a display table, price tags just far enough away that he couldn’t see what a hunk of the orange stuff went for, never mind the onyx. The entire shop overhead had seemingly hundreds of crystals hanging in no pattern or order, some larger, some smaller. Overall, very charming.

From behind the bakery counter, the door to the kitchen opened up, and a stout woman came walking out. She had an apron on and a smile on her face, and in the most adorable accent he’d ever heard, she said, “Hello stranger, haven’t seen you around here before.”

 _Right_.

“Is that Taako’s umbrella?”

Kravitz would have to ask Taako why his umbrella was so famous.

“That is very curious, stranger. If you’re using Taako’s umbrella, I assume you are here for more than baked goods,” she said while coming from behind the counter. Wiping her hands on her apron, she took it off and hung it up on a hook on the side of the counter. “Come, come, sit down with me.”

Kravitz had failed to see the small table in the back corner of the right side of the shop, two chairs across from one another. He didn’t even seem to need to say anything as Paloma took his hands immediately upon sitting down, including taking the umbrella from him and placing it on the floor next to them. She rubbed her fingers over his knuckles, squeezing his hands before turning them over and pushing them gently to rest on the tabletop.

“You have hands that came from the ocean. You are very emotional, though you do not show it. It is hard for you to deal with stressful situations, so you end up closed off from others, preferring solitude. Always looking for peace, but you cannot find it. Your hands say a lot about you,” Paloma paused, closing her eyes as Kravitz looked at her in disbelief. “You don’t have to be so surprised. Hands can be read just like books, and through reading, I can better understand your reasons for coming here. You are reserved, yet if someone asks something of you, you always agree because of your considerate spirit not wishing others to suffer. Your unrest is of your own doing, even if all you wish to do is hide from the world and become absorbed in your true passions. It was never a choice for you, it seems, what a shame to have so much talent lay dormant.

“But things are changing for you, yes? It seems you have been traumatized by love before, but it is hard to tell whether or not you are satisfied in your love life currently. It is something that has previously been a very depressing affair, but there seems to be hope resting at the end of the path. Enough of that,” her fingers traced over another one of the lines on his palm, “You favor practicality and structure, preferring the framework laid out in front of you with rational decisions, but there’s a deep yearning for the spontaneous creativity that you may have dabbled with in your youth until it was not an option. You do not seek out adventure either, and if you were honest with yourself, you would admit to a low mental energy for others even if your stamina suggests otherwise. You’ve made some very big decisions in your life previously, but there are many more to come. Take them in stride, you jump to conclusions far too easily.

“I can barely see your fate line, it seems that external forces will change your life many times as it has, and as it will continue to do. And your life line is broken as well, signifying major changes in how you have previously lived your life. Nothing is set in stone for you no matter how hard you try and anchor yourself in your current reality. You do not have many aspirations, but you are successful in your endeavors. That will be twenty-five dollars, please. If you want me to continue, it is forty dollars. If you want a prophecy, that will be an extra five for a small one, twenty for a big one.”

Kravitz had been so focused on his own hands and his impending existential crisis that he hadn’t noticed Paloma looking back up at him. “How…”

“Twenty five dollars for the reading, and I'll even throw in a scone, dear,” she said as she got up from her chair and let his hands go, going to the bakery counter and sliding a glass panel to grab a fresh one by the looks of it.

Kravitz dug into his back pocket for his wallet, almost numbly extracting the asked for payment, but before he handed it over he said, “Am I that easy to read?”

“Honey, everyone is that easy to read, you are not so special. But, everyone is unique in how their hands talk about their lives. Yours are well taken care of, rougher than your interests would imply they should be,” she took his money and pocketed it in her dress pocket, handing him the scone. “You are new to here, but I sense you are going to leave us with more than you bargained for. Would you like a prophecy? Twenty for a big one, five for a small. It may help aide you on your journey, with finding what was once lost.”

Kravitz felt a jolt of hope wrapped in a barbed blanket of anxiety, practically bursting at the seams as he said, “Do you know who I'm looking for?!”

“I cannot see the specific picture, but I also do not give this information for free. No cash, no chat.”

Kravitz hesitated, wondering if he was being subjected to someone who truly had some sort of psychic prowess, or if she was a very good faker. He wasn't necessarily a believer, but he knew from experience in this town that suspending his disbelief and accepting help from others was going to have to happen. So far, it had benefited him. Decision made, his wallet opened back up and he got out another twenty five, not seeing the harm in trying for both. When he handed her the money, she led him back to the table and had him sit down.

“Small prophecy first, or big one?”

“Big.”

She closed her eyes, seeming to be focusing before Kravitz felt more than saw her stomp her foot on the ground. One of the crystals on the ceiling fell to the table, and the sound of it made Kravitz jump. The crystal itself shattered completely, no large pieces to pick up, but Paloma looked at the way it was arranged for a few moments before she said, “Are you ready for your big prophecy?”

“Yes,” Kravitz replied back almost too eagerly.

“When you see the shovel, pick it up.” There was an extended pause before she said, “Are you ready for your small prophecy?”

“Wait, what does that mean? Am I going to need to bury something?”

“I can only give you the prophecies, I cannot interpret them for you,” she said as if it were that simple, then continued, “Are you ready to move on?” Paloma swept the broken crystal off the table with her hand, pieces scattering to the floor to be swept away later.

Nodding his agreeance, Paloma closed her eyes and focused, eventually stomping her foot. Another, smaller, crystal fell from the ceiling, shattering onto the table and leaving behind a similar spectrum of broken glass. She took a few seconds to scrutinize it before she said, “You're not used to having help, and you are used to telling your friends no, but listen to them and let them help you. You will face a great foe together, born of misunderstanding. The answer is right under the surface; let the music guide you, and in turn, you will know everything. It will escort you to what you are looking for.”

Kravitz blinked, momentarily puzzled, then he said, "How is that smaller than the shovel prophecy?"

"I have no control over what the prophecies tell me."

A lot to take in, but he could take a crack at interpreting this one to mean that he had some dreadful things to look for, and that he should accept the help of his friends. Advice that he wasn’t keen on following. The last bit, though, was a bit easier to decode. Whatever music he had heard at the lake was the obvious metaphor, as well as under the surface where whatever Angus had witnessed was lurking. Kravitz just wasn’t sure what Paloma meant by him knowing ‘everything’ from it.

Kravitz watched as Paloma swept the bits of crystal onto the floor with her hand, already picking up a broom from the corner to begin sweeping up the mess. “Did you want me to read your mounts? There’s lots more information I could tell you if you’re willing to pay.”

“Ah, no thank you, I think you’ve helped me quite enough for today. Thank you for your time,” he leaned over to pick up the umbrella, the dreadful rain outside continuing on, thunder sounding off in kind.

“Not so fast, Mr. Kravitz, let me talk to you about Taako. Specifically, that you have his umbrella.”

Kravitz turned his hand sideways with the umbrella in his grasp, examining it, “He let me borrow it because of the rain, but I’m giving it back to him. I truly didn’t know it would give me this much attention, I’d have insisted more he let me borrow his other one instead.”

“He gave it to you out of his own free will? Very curious indeed. He must really be attached to you. But that is not important at this time, run along now, I’m sure you have so much to do today once the rain lets up. Give Taako my regards, and tell him I’ve finally gotten in that black tourmaline he’s been waiting for; I have it reserved for him, and the gaspeite should be in next week,” she said dismissively, going about her business as if she hadn’t just picked his life apart from reading his hands.

Everything had been so distressingly accurate, Kravitz wasn’t sure just how to proceed with that part of the experience. For now, it was best for him to set that aside, focusing instead on digesting the information he was given.

Outside, the rain was still pounding on the pavement, and he opened the umbrella so he could rush across the street back to his car. Only when he was inside and finally eating the scone he was given did he realize that he never told Paloma his name.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone, I'm coming at you sooner than a month this time!! I struggled a bit with this chapter if I'm honest, and I still can't shake the feeling that it feels like filler, but it's all important in some way or other. I made a lot of important decisions as to where to take the plot that you might not notice but how this is panning out behind the scenes is sure... something........ I also had like the week from h*ck and I cranked out over half of this in the past three days. it ended up like slightly shorter than what I was aiming for for word count but where it ended felt like a good place to do so without extending it another like 6k
> 
> I'm going to take this time to give the biggest shout out in the world to [fanflock](http://archiveofourown.org/users/fanflock/pseuds/fanflock) for drawing [fanart](http://thekingkez.tumblr.com/post/155983974051/hey-homie-im-gonna-let-you-borrow-this-with) of this fic which is the first time in my life this has ever happened where I got art for my writing and it's like SPOT on too what the HECK. as always too I'm like way overwhelmed to the positive response this fic is getting and I'm super happy everyone is enjoying it so much! also, I wrote a [companion piece](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9491006) for this fic for sweet flips so if you haven't seen that it's really short and cute because I gotta do Better by thos gals
> 
> also @ the person who bookmarked this with the comment "drink the lake water krav" had me losing my fucking mind last night at like 4am during the last dregs of my anger writing, thank you so much

As much as the anxiety had clawed at Kravitz’s consciousness, the lake seemed almost serene at this time of day. Well, the brightness of the day had not changed for quite some time, so it was tough to tell what time it was without the sun’s position in the sky. Especially because his car dashboard clock was busted, and because in his haste to start the day he had forgotten to don his watch. Point being, even if he couldn't tell what time it was, at least the rain had calmed down to a more steady rate instead of a torrential downpour. Besides the pitter-patter of droplets on the umbrella and the soft sounds of the water lapping at the shore, nothing else was amiss.

No trace of whatever music he had heard last time.

The atmosphere was almost empty, lacking even the supernatural tinges that had plagued every waking moment in this town. The longer Kravitz stared at the lake, hoping to see a glimpse of whatever was going on with it, the more he was trying to convince himself that what had happened had just been a fluke. Now, the atmosphere was plain as the rain itself fell almost peacefully. The mood better suited a cozy day inside with a blanket on his lap and a good book in his hands, a mug of his favorite tea nearby that had gone lukewarm with forgetfulness.

Kravitz had to wonder what was different now. The first time he had been to the lake had yielded similar results, where, nothing had happened. This time was the same. Both times, he had been alone, it had only been when he'd deviated from the formula had something weird happened. He had to wonder what was the condition that triggered the music, because he had a feeling it wasn't having others around him.

Standing there was doing nothing, but without the tune infecting all of his senses there wasn't much else to do besides look at the water and consider what Paloma had told him. Her palm reading had been so eerily accurate; he had never been one to believe in the supernatural arts, if this qualified as that. He wasn't a strong proponent of the concept of ‘fate’ nor ‘destiny’, but her reading had held a lot of weight. Kravitz _was_ emotional, at his core. He also didn't hold people close, preferring to be alone if only because of his past transgressions involving relationships had seemed to frame his life. Past lovers had exited his life rather quickly, like a candle snuffed in anticipation for dawn to break after a passionate night. At least the smell of an extinguished candle sat better with him than someone not returning his calls.

Most others he could hardly blame for wanting to keep it casual. Kravitz had a shell that was hard to crack, contrary to how he'd been conducting himself with Taako. Past flames had a history of trying to get too close for his comfort which led to him breaking it off, or quite in reverse where he was the one left brokenhearted after being infatuated while still unwilling to give up that piece of himself. He felt like a bit of a fool opening up so quickly in the past couple of days, but had he really? Kravitz knew there was a lot that he was leaving unsaid, and he had a feeling that his temporary companion was dropping a lot more than he used to.

Paloma had said he preferred solitude, but he was his own worst enemy in that department. What he wouldn't give to follow his passions rather than work with where he'd fallen into place in life. He certainly wouldn't be here, searching for one Noelle Redcheek whose trail was eluding him. He certainly wouldn't be stressed out, staring at the lake wondering if Paloma’s prophecy would be fulfilled if he pitched himself into it.

Maybe he would meet the lights beneath the surface, and they would guide him to Noelle’s whereabouts. Maybe he was wasting his time getting caught up in this mystery that wasn't connected to his own, a thought constantly at the back of his head that this was all for naught. Except, Paloma had said he would find what he was looking for here. Actually, more than he bargained for, which was a terrifying thought in itself. What had she meant by that? He was already biting off more than he could chew, and he was already too friendly with too many people. Too close with some in particular.

How could he even stay away? Now that he was entrenched in this whole affair, it would be hard to pull himself away from its grasp. What was truly bothering him was Paloma had said that external forces had dictated his path in the past, and that they would continue to do so even now in the future. In the present. What she had said about nothing being set in stone no matter how much he tried to cling to his realities had shaken him especially, because he had spent his whole life clawing at familiarity and instead falling down cliffsides into new, scary things.

His parents passing away had probably not been the first, but it had been the most traumatic event. His mother first, and then his father shortly after. He'd tried so hard to clutch onto his music education before he'd quit to take care of them and of the bills that piled up in their illness’ wake. He had spent so many late nights working and early mornings going to class and mid-days caring for his parents, afternoons studying… there had been no time for sleep. His grades had suffered to the point of no return, but Kravitz had tried for so long even as he wore himself down. Only to find himself landsliding into being alone. Into being broke and desperate and ending up working for Raven, who had barged into his life and changed it again.

It seemed that Paloma knew what she was talking about, about others changing his life and going along with it. About preferring the easy path and molding to others even if it exhausted him so badly sometimes that all he could do to wind down after a long day was lay in a dimly lit room listening to music from his worn out record player that he didn't have the heart to replace. Tapping along on his thighs to the rhythm, playing air piano, mouthing out the beats. Kravitz didn't know if he had a breaking point where he would do what his heart told him rather than his head, but the words of a baker turned psychic were planting themselves far deeper inside himself than he liked.

Nothing.

No lights, no music, nothing but his shoes steadily making indents in the soft sand of the shore up against the edge of the water as the rain started slowing to a drizzle finally. The thoughts still raged in his head however, thoughts of being so easily picked apart by someone else who knew how disorganized he was when it came to his own desires, but how easily he bent to other’s wishes. Practicality and a pre-established framework, a plan to follow, he loved having that kind of direction because it made his existence easier to have a point A and point B with a clear line connecting them. As a detective that was rarely the case, but Kravitz could work with it best as he could to get his work done, but this case was something else.

Heaving a sigh in the direction of the water, Kravitz turned around and headed back toward the car. Whatever truth was waiting for him here was not to be had at this moment, that much was clear. At least the sky was clearing up a bit, getting brighter as the rain came almost to a stop. There was no break in the clouds yet, but the threat of the storm had long since passed.

Too much to think about, but at least he had more time now. The first thing he needed to do though was go back and get his watch, of all the things he had forgotten in his haste that was what he needed the most. He had no idea what time it was, he was belatedly starving after surviving on one pretty terrible tasting (free) coffee and one amazing (arguably also free) scone. He didn't want to drop by the diner though, for some reason just not quite ready to face Taako after having his love life struggles laid bare in front of himself by a stranger. Kravitz was also debating if he even wanted to make an appearance after six, when Taako had said he would be free, and it was something he would decide on later.

 

 

* * *

  
  


The market was quieter than he imagined for a Sunday afternoon at just past four. Kravitz had stopped at his room to retrieve his watch, finally back in place on his wrist, but not wanting to show his face at the diner led him to the market where he was trying to find something quick and easy that he didn't have to refrigerate or worry about. A noble idea if only he could figure out what he wanted with his choices presented to him being far too vast to not try and call it a day with a bottle of ginger ale and a bag of low salt pretzels. He just had to go back a few aisles–

“Sir!”

Kravitz nearly jumped out of his skin, startled so ridiculously that he expelled the smallest shriek that he knew he wouldn’t be able to cover up. Heart racing, he turned around to see Angus sitting cramped in a shopping cart beaming up at him and waving like he hadn’t seen him lose his cool just a moment before. Kravitz half expected to see Taako, or even Magnus pushing the cart, but it was Carey standing on the rung between the wheels, hanging on the bar on top. Behind her was Killian actually pushing the cart, trapping her between her arms affectionately, chin on Carey’s shoulder. With what dignity he could muster, Kravitz coughed lightly into his fist and said, “Angus, I didn’t expect to see you.”

“Sorry for scaring you, Kravitz! I also didn’t get to say goodbye to you and Taako last night, but you’re here now. Have you met Carey and Killian? I don’t think you have,” he turned his head to look at the two at the back of the cart, speaking almost too quickly for him to keep up. “This is Kravitz! He’s a detective.”

Kravitz caught Angus while he was taking a breath to interject, “Ah, well, I don’t think I have met you both yet. I was there for the wedding, and it was very beautiful. Congratulations.”

Carey beamed as she said, “Thanks! I think I saw you at the diner a few days ago, but I also remember seeing you there since I didn’t recognize you. You _really_ stood out in that nice suit.”

Putting his hand behind his head to rub his neck, Kravitz was almost at a loss for words at how to approach a conversation like this. He wasn’t one for polite chit-chat, but he would keep up the charade for Angus. “I was a last second plus one for Taako.”

“Right, I remember him asking me to bump Pringles to another table for the reception. I only did it because I owed Mag a favor,” she said almost wistfully before continuing, “So how do you know each other?”

“It’s a rather… long story,” Kravitz supplied, hoping to avoid the question so he wouldn’t have to say it was mostly mutual attraction between Angus’ guardian and himself and then the lot of them had helped him in an investigation.

“Oh, not really,” Angus said as he shifted his position in the carriage, continuing to speak far too bluntly, “We brought him home one night and then we helped him look for some clues for his case!”

“I suppose you could say that Angus,” Kravitz said feeling even more mildly uncomfortable.

“Speaking of which did you find anything today? Also why do you have Taako’s umbrella?”

The damned thing hanging from his wrist still; Kravitz had brought it with him again as the rain had become patchy now that it was clearing up, and since he had the umbrella, why not use it? The sky had decided to spit again in the parking lot, so Kravitz had used it. “He let me borrow it this morning.” As if a light bulb going off in his head, he remembered to ask, “How did you get home last night?”

“Oh! Right, you left with Taako. Um, sir–”

“We took him home with us since idiot one went missing, and idiot two is a _very_ sad drunk,” Killian said. “I’ve heard all about you from Angus, Kravitz, pleasure,” she held out her hand to shake his, and Kravitz was not surprised in the slightest that it was a strong handshake if her muscles had anything to say about it. Out of her dress and in what he presumed to be her normal clothing, she was no less intimidating.

One look at Angus and he could tell the poor kid was embarrassed from being outed about talking about Kravitz, but Carey jumped back in, “He told us a little bit about the case you’re working. You’re looking for a missing person? Tell us the details!”

“Her name is Noelle. Red hair, average build. She’s in her late teens as well. I’ve spoken to many people in town about this and nobody has heard of her. Still, the lead I had sent me here, so I figure it’s worth doing a bit more investigating before I call it a dead end.” Never mind everything else that was going on, but that was something he wanted to keep to himself for now until he could figure out what to do with it.

“Do you know anything else about her? Like, where she’s from?” Carey asked while ever so slowly and nonchalantly reaching for a box of crackers on the shelf next to her. “I feel like I’ve heard the name before.”

“My contact didn’t tell me much about her, and she didn’t have a picture of her either to give me. Just the vague description and a payment. To be honest, I’m not sure what else compelled me to take the case,” that much was true. He had no idea who she was, just that he was given the name of this town as the last place she might have gone. That, and the payment had been… quite large.

Meanwhile, the box of crackers was in Carey’s grip, slowly, methodically being lowered into the waiting, also nonchalant Angus’ grasp. Slowly, cautiously, and Kravitz had the sneaking suspicion that she was trying to hide it from her wife, so he tried best as he could to keep his eyes on hers. “No last name?”

“Redcheek.”

The box of crackers dropped suddenly, sending Angus scrambling for it while Killian’s hand flew out to steady Carey as she nearly fell off the rung of the shopping cart, making sure she wasn't going to fall to her death as she said, “Carey we aren't getting these!”

“Aw, c’moooon,” almost whined out as Killian leaned far enough forward to reach around her with her other hand to grab the box from Angus’ hands so she could put it back on the shelf. Carey’s attention seemed to catch again as her hand was grabbed away from reaching for the box again. “No, wait, no no. Nooo way,” Kravitz, for a brief second, thought she was still talking about the crackers, but she looked at him and continued, “You said Redcheek, right?”

“I did,” he said slowly.

“Noelle?”

“Right.”

For a heart stopping moment, Kravitz could see the wheels turning in her head, and before he had a chance to formulate his thoughts, she said, “My sister-in-law is from the Redcheek family! Her and my bro are still in town for the next few days.”

Angus was the first to make a shocked gasp, hands over his mouth and eyes wide, “Oh geez, how did I forget that? Wait, Sir, did you say her last name previously?”

Kravitz was still reeling from this tidbit of information, hardly able to believe his good fortune, “I… Yes? I think so,” He definitely felt bad for brushing what Angus said off, but he pushed on, “More importantly I have to talk to your sister-in-law _now_ ,” he said to Carey. “Where is she?”

“Hold your horses, dude! She's at our house waiting for us to come back with stuff to make dinner. You can join us for dinner, if ya want,” Carey said while taking a moment to straighten herself out and get a better grip on the bar.

Clearing his throat, Kravitz had to take about four steps back mentally, telling himself not to get too far ahead of reality. Just because they had the same last name, didn't mean they were related, even if it was an uncommon name. Furthermore, even if they were related, that didn't guarantee any information he might get would be useful. He took a moment to think it over, about the (extremely) loose commitment he’d made for meeting up with Taako. He’d said he would keep it in mind, but considering everything that happened, this seemed far more important. “If you don’t mind, I’d very much like to speak to her and ask her some questions. As long as I’m not imposing.”

“Huh? Nah, you’re not. We’re almost done here, so just stick with us,” and Kravitz watched her lean back into Killian, speaking to her, “What else do we need?”

“I think we’re just about done—wait, no, we need the bread crumbs,” Killian interrupted herself, digging into her pocket to pull out presumably the list. “And some other stuff.”

Kravitz walked along with them, feeling a tad out of place as usual. Between the two of them and Angus there as well, the atmosphere was very familial, and Kravitz had to wonder if the age old adage applied here, that it took a village to raise a child. It was not his place to really question the connections everyone had together, but it was fascinating seeing this child have so many parental figures. Especially having found out a bit about his past from the person who was his parent in name.

Still, watching Carey step off the shopping carriage rung to place their items on the belt while Killian lifted Angus out of the basket effortlessly was heartwarming. If he didn’t know any better, he would think that these two were his guardians instead. Especially Carey, who sneaked a candy bar onto the belt, and sneaked it out of the bag to hand to Angus beneath Killian’s nose. If she noticed, she didn’t say anything.

Items paid for, out in the parking lot Kravitz helped load the bags into their car, also returning the carriage to the coral.

“I’ll follow you in my car,” Kravitz nodded toward his.

“Can I ride with you?!” Angus said immediately, almost catching Kravitz by surprise as he looked at him hopefully, and also maybe a bit embarrassed at his own near outburst.

“As long as it’s alright with Killian and Carey, since they’re looking after you right now,” Kravitz replied, feeling a fondness for Angus as he waited for permission expectantly. He truly was a great kid, and he reminded Kravitz so much of himself. What Paloma said came to mind, about leaving this place with more than he bargained for. Whatever that was to mean for him when everything came to a head, he wasn’t sure, but he was going to try and take it all in stride. Paloma was right, he did jump to conclusions far too easily, but in this moment he would try not to worry.

“I don’t see any harm in it,” Killian said finally, shrugging one shoulder, “We don’t live far anyway.”

“Right then,” Kravitz got his keys out of his pocket, unlocking the car so both of them could get in, buckling up.

Angus was immediate and to the point, “Kravitz, sir, I wanted to let you know that I had an eye out all night to see who was at the wedding and the reception so I could let you know who was and wasn’t there. Lucas and Maureen weren’t there, of course. Um, nobody suspicious _was_ there, but anyone who was missing wasn’t strange either. I didn’t get a chance to tell you before you left with Taako, though.”

An awkward lump formed in his throat as he tried to think of a response, especially how to think of addressing the leaving part. “I appreciate the extra eyes on the floor, Angus.” Key in the ignition, Kravitz started the car and started following the other car out onto the main road.

“Of course! And it’s okay that you and Taako left, it happens a lot. Usually Magnus takes me home but when he’s in emotional situations he drinks and then he gets upset about, um, Julia. His wife. Uh, late wife. But it’s okay!! Carey and Killian usually take care of me when Taako and Magnus don't, and I’m fine with it,” Angus said, and his voice did not betray him. He truly seemed fine with it, but it still tugged at Kravitz’s heart fiercely.

“I will admit, it’s a very unusual situation you are in.”

“Nothing can be classified as ‘usual’ since I was born I think. I remember my grandfather, and then I remember Taako taking care of me. He used to be really bad at it, but he’s gotten way better!” Pride was laced through his tone of voice, and what Taako said about Angus working with him came to mind. “If I’m honest, sometimes I’m a bit envious of how other kids my age have a mom and a dad and maybe a sibling, but I have Taako. And Magnus. And Killian and Carey. And a lot of other people too! And you’re here, even though I know you’re not staying, you’re great too!”

Kravitz was never good with kids. If there was a situation where he had to interact with kids in any way, usually he tried not to do so. Not for lack of not taking them seriously, but more internal fears all relating back to himself. Angus was a rare exception to this, the most charming kid he’d ever interacted with, for sure. Him saying that he was great too was almost enough to do him in, sending his mind briefly on the thought that this kid deserved a more stable household. Not that he wasn’t loved, the kid was definitely loved, even if half the adults in his life had a very hard time showing it.

“Thank you, Angus. That really does mean a lot to me,” lifting one hand off the steering wheel, he placed it on Angus’ shoulder, squeezing for a moment. Looking at him briefly, Angus was definitely flustered, but he was beaming. “I know what it’s like to try and survive without having the comfort of parents helping you along the way. Mine passed when I was able to support myself, though, so I know it’s much harder on you. You do have many people that love you.”

“Did you have anyone like that, sir?”

Kravitz felt a stab of something he didn’t want to quite name yet, knowing there had been nobody in the same sense. “When I first lost my parents? I… My mentor, Raven. She’s more my boss, not a support network.”

He looked straight ahead as Angus stared at him, and he quietly said, “And now?”

“Now, I still work for Raven, but I don’t keep much company. I’m normally too busy working to form many interpersonal relationships,” Kravitz tried to sound as nonchalant as possible about it, but his heart was heavy. “I don’t mind either, it’s been like that for a very long time. Even before I lost my parents, I didn’t surround myself with many people. To be honest, people don’t surround themselves with me.”

When he heard a rogue sniffle, Kravitz side eyed to see Angus wipe at his nose with his sleeve. Eyes back on the road, their car up ahead was turning onto one of the streets, so he put his turn signal on and followed. Kravitz could feel the lingering note of sadness in the air, but Angus was the one to change the subject, “U-um, well, I’m sure when we talk to Hathaway, she’ll know something about Noelle. Hathaway is Carey’s sister-in-law. Her brother Je–Scales. Um, his name is Jeremy but he likes being called Scales. He was the one that walked with her at the wedding, and his wife is Hathaway.”

“I was wondering about the relation, thank you for the information Angus, as always.” He was saved from further conversation as the car pulled into a driveway, and Kravitz parked at the curb just in front of the house.

Cutting the engine and unbuckling, Kravitz made himself useful by helping Killian and Carey with carrying the groceries inside, arms taken up by two of the three actually quite heavy paper bags while Angus carried the other one.

Carey called out into the house, “We have another guest!”

“Honey, set another spot at the table,” an unfamiliar voice came from somewhere in the house; Kravitz was assuming it was Hathaway.

“On it,” a deeper, but still high voice drifted in, and Kravitz was assuming that was Jeremy. Rather, Scales.

Killian took the bags from him and Angus and motioned for them to sit down in the cozy looking parlor, walking off into the kitchen which was just out of sight around the corner. The evidence of the previous night’s sleepover was still remaining, VHS tapes stacked up just in front of the TV cabinet and a forgotten, mostly empty bowl of popcorn.

Out of the corner of his eye on the fireplace he saw the ugliest (assumed) vase he had ever had the displeasure of seeing, the tacky abomination contrasted with a bouquet of beautiful flowers that looked completely out of place. In the shape of a cowboy boot with the gaudy red lettering of AC⚡️DC staring at him, one rose on the toe and one on the side. It was a porcelain nightmare vessel that sent chills down his spine, and he couldn't even fathom the story behind how it came into this household. Shaking his head and sighing quietly, Kravitz turned his attention to the rest of the marginally more tasteful room.

Kravitz sat down on the worn, but surprisingly comfortable powder blue couch, Angus taking a seat next to him after slipping his shoes off so he could sit cross legged. Clearing his throat, Angus spoke up almost hesitantly, “Sir, I’m sorry for prying earlier.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Angus,” Kravitz said, perhaps a bit more stiffly than he wished. “I don’t want you to feel that my lack of companionship is something to mourn. I get along just fine on my own.”

“But doesn’t it get lonely?”

Kravitz felt like he should be surprised that Angus was asking deep questions about him, but he wasn't at all. Angus was a smart kid, and he was very perceptive, so he would give him the courtesy of not lying, “It does, all the time.”

There it was again, Angus sniffling, and then wiping at his face with his sleeve. This time there wasn't the convenience of changing the subject, but Angus scooted closer to him and let the side of his head rest against Kravitz’s arm. Sniffing again, he said, “While you're here, you've got all of us, sir.”

The burn of affection in his chest was just a step away from being foreign, but Kravitz hummed for a moment before he said, “I know.”

The silence that followed was more comfortable than Kravitz expected, ambient noise from the kitchen floating in as they sat.

  


* * *

  
  


Dinner itself was delicious, that much was certain. Hathaway was a great cook and a very nice woman, bustling around the kitchen like she wasn't carrying a child who was almost to term, chasing away most attempts at help.

In the living room earlier, Angus had fallen asleep on him while they had waited and while Kravitz had been left alone with his thoughts. When they'd been called in for dinner, he was incredibly flustered and apologetic, no matter how many times Kravitz reiterated that he hadn't minded in the slightest. Angus’ even breathing during his impromptu nap had actually helped center him and soothe him away from not overthinking the events of the day, and it also helped him to gather his thoughts so that once dinner was done, he could ask his questions. He preferred not to open the  can of Noelle worms at the table.

Now though, Angus was arm deep in dishwater with Carey drying dishes and Killian putting them away, Hathaway’s full attention on him. Dinner conversation had been more of the friendly sort, asking him where he was from, talking about the wedding, about how Scales had played the best music at the reception, about how excited Scales and Hathaway were for their child Taylor to be born, et cetera. Now though, they were sitting across from each other at the table ready to speak.

“Killian told me you’re looking for someone?” Hathaway started, likely already briefed by the others while they had been in the kitchen together.

Clearing his throat, Kravitz said, “Yes, Noelle Redcheek. I was told that you have the same family name?”

“Yes, I know her,” she said almost glumly, “Very nice kid. Um, one of my cousins. My family owns one of the biggest apple orchards this side of the continent, and we have a rather large cider business. We also brew a lot of ale, and the like.”

Kravitz didn’t like the sound of this conversation, he did not like where it was going one bit along with how she seemed to swerve around the question to segue into something else. “Do you have any information about her? When I was given the lead, I was given almost no information. He told me she was in her teens, she had red hair, average body type. And I was given the name.”

“She… Hm. Before I say anything, who was it you spoke to?”

If he was honest, Kravitz could barely recall the details, but he tried to recant, “She was older, but she had no features that stood out. I’m not quite sure who it was, and to be honest, I’ve worked cases knowing nothing about my client, and given less details than even a name. I was, um, well compensated even before I made my way here, but I'm not sure who she was.”

Hathaway looked suspicious, and Kravitz could not blame her. He would be suspicious too of himself. “She didn’t identify herself? Or give you contact information?”

“Like I said, I’ve worked on a lot less for a client before as a detective, I’m usually not in the business of questioning the jobs I’m being paid to do unless it seems immoral, and this one did not. That said, since I’ve come here, I haven’t had a single concrete lead for Noelle herself. A lot has happened in the past half a week, and none of it has connected together. By pure _chance_ you’re related to her, and I’m scrambling left and right for clues with no results. I’ve spoken to so many people, and none of them have heard of her in this town, which begs the question why I’m here in the first place,” Kravitz said, knowing he was dumping his frustrations on a stranger. This conversation sat heavily in his stomach almost like he’d swallowed a boulder.

“Not to cut in sweetheart,” Scales said while setting a mug of tea down in front of her and taking a seat in the adjacent chair, “Are we talking about Uncle Bryan’s daughter?” He handed Kravitz a mug as well which he took gratefully, definitely in need of something warm to drink. He hadn't been able to shake the chill that had seeped into his bones all day.

Hathaway hummed her affirmation, picking up the mug and wrapping one hand tentatively around the hot porcelain. “Kravitz, I don’t know what to tell you. I… She’s,” sighing, she took an experimental sip of the contents of her mug, placing it down right after, probably deemed too hot.

Kravitz picked up and supplied, “Dead?”

Hathaway shook her head and said,“Gone. Her father insists she’s missing, that she will turn up, but the rest of us think she _is_ dead. That’s where it gets… strange. She went to help with a delivery, and she never came back. There was no indication on the ledger where the shipment went, and the person she’d gone with didn’t remember either. She was just… gone.”

Gone was better than dead, but that didn’t alleviate any of the distressing thoughts sitting pungently in the forefront of his mind. “Could she have been kidnapped?”

Hathaway shrugged her shoulders, looking unconvinced by the suggestion as she said, “I mean… You can never rule it out, but she was also going for her black belt before she disappeared. I know she would have fought, she was strong for her age.”

The ambient sound of soft giggles and splashing dishwater cut through the dour atmosphere Kravitz was steadily projecting, but this was still good information, even if it felt like he was still grasping at straws. “So, there’s a chance she is still alive, then. I feel like I’m on a wild goose chase and someone’s blindfolded me. Do you know anything else that might aid me?” Kravitz went to take a drink from his mug, the tea still a tad too hot for him to comfortably drink, so he put it down and off to the side.

“She’s a very smart girl, and she’s extremely kind, but nothing else that might help. I’m a little concerned _who_ sent you here, but I wouldn’t rule it out. I know Balance Valley is a big buyer of Redcheek cider when the season comes around, but, most people are, to be fair,” Hathaway said, clearly prideful of her family name.

Mulling that over, Kravitz wasn't sure if there was even anything more to find out, but he wasn't going to consider it a waste of time either. “Thank you for speaking to me about your cousin, I really do appreciate it.”

“I won’t lie, this was the last conversation I expected to have today. But if there’s a chance that you can find her, or at least find out what happened to her, I think Uncle Bryan might finally be able to move on with his life. He deserves at least that, poor guy…” Hathaway said thoughtfully, clearly shaking it off as she picked her mug back up.

“How long has she been missing?” A very important question, considering he had been told just a couple months from his source. From the sound of the way Hathaway was speaking, that didn't seem to be the case.

“About a year, now.”

A rather harrowing chill ran down Kravitz’ spine at the revelation, but thankfully he was saved from responding by the last residual clinks of the dishes getting put away, and the sound of the water draining. Soon after, the other three joined them at the table again, a leftover plate of sweets from the reception placed on the table. While reaching for an indescribably fancy cookie, Angus said, “I couldn’t help but overhear–”

“Eavesdrop,” Carey supplied, interrupting him with a cheeky smile.

Angus stuck his tongue out at her and said, “I overheard you talking about Noelle, but I feel like examining everything else you said is important too, Kravitz, sir. Especially what you said about the other strange stuff happening.”

“Well, there is a _lot_ that has happened that was strange. Earlier this morning, I remembered Paloma.” Well, that had been a literal lightning strike, and he had been shaken almost to his core about his palm reading. “I remembered what Taako said about Lucas lying.”

“Wait, Lucas Miller? What does he have to do with anything?” Killian asked, attention now caught much more rapt than before.

“On Friday, I was still doing my preliminary search for clues, and we ended up at the Miller household asking about Noelle. They didn’t know anything, much like everyone else in town. It was… odd, though. Something Taako said about Lucas lying about visiting Paloma’s. Actually, that’s what I forgot this morning…” Kravitz trailed off, wondering how much he should say about his experience at Paloma’s. “I visited her shop, and she did a reading on me, but in my haste I forgot to ask her about Lucas.”

“Wait, wait, you said a _lot_ there,” Carey said quickly, scooting closer as if being closer were a gateway to understanding him. “What was he lying about?”

“Remember what happened on Thursday with the wall of the church? When we spoke to him, he knew about Cassidy taking the blame. But Taako is insisting that he doesn't go into town on Thursdays, so he couldn't have known. That is what he is supposedly lying about, because Taako asked him a question involving Paloma and the date she gets her shipments, which he couldn't have known. I'm not sure on the details, it was a very quick conversation. Bottom line, there's something Lucas knows that we don't know, and I have a gut feeling it relates to my case,” Kravitz finished, trailing off as he tried to think of any way to justify it, but there was nothing. Just blind faith.

Faith, and apparently friends.

“I mean, the dude is a little weird,” Carey said, pausing as she thought, “I dunno, I guess he'd be the lying type. He did cross Magnus that one time, an’ he threatened to rip Lucas’ arms off. It takes a lot to get Mag angry...”

“I think the point here is that there's more work to be done,” Angus said, glasses off as he used a cloth to wipe them down so insufferably charmingly. “We know Noelle was on a delivery with one of the delivery people to help out, and she didn't come back. We know that the Redcheek family produces a lot of cider, too. That would get delivered to two places. The market, or more importantly, the bar. Kravitz, sir, have you asked there?”

“I did on my first night here, but without much luck, and only one person,” Kravitz said, then took another sip from his mug, his tea a little cooler now that he had let it sit for a little while.

“Then–” Angus was interrupted by the sound of hard knocking on the front door, and Killian excused herself to go answer it. Continuing, Angus said, “Anyway, if Noelle was helping out with deliveries, and Redcheek cider is popular here, the only logical conclusion is the bar, and we should investigate there–”

“On a school night? Over my dead body, kiddo,” Kravitz heard just behind him, the familiar lilting voice of Taako, observing the immediate almost crestfallen look on Angus’ face before he turned around to see Taako taking his jacket off. “You're too young for a place like that, first of all, and B, I wasn't aware this was a party and you didn't invite Taako? I'm hurt!” This seemed to be his usual MO, walking in unannounced, if nobody being phased was an indication. Taako took a seat in the chair Killian had vacated, much to her chagrin.

“I’ve relied on you all far too much, admittedly. I don't want any of you getting mixed up in my case any more than you have.” It was the responsible thing to say, all things considering.

“Yeah, Dangus, leave the detective work to Krav, who is getting _paid_ for it instead of having you interning for him without fair wages. You do your homework Thursday night?”

The realization dawned on Angus visibly, and he startled with an, “Oh no,” quietly gasped. “I have to go home _now_ ,” he said while standing up and rushing for the living room to get his shoes from where he left them, and his coat.

“Anyway, thanks for taking care of my kid while I was getting laid,” Taako said in Killian and Carey’s general direction as Kravitz had taken another swig from his mug of tea and ended up inhaling the still warm enough to be uncomfortable drink directly into his lungs, sputtering and entering into a coughing fit. The embarrassment was _immediate_ , horrible, and crippling. To make matters worse, Taako had scooted his chair closer to him and started hitting his back with the heel of his palm, “Shit Krav, you gonna be okay?”

Every little bit he was coughing up seemed to be embedding in his sinuses, a perfect storm of chamomile flavored suffering that he would never be rid of. Even Angus had come back over to him and started patting his back gently to try and alleviate his struggle, saying, “Oh goodness, sir, are you alright?”

Meanwhile, Carey was cackling almost uncontrollably, leaning back in her chair with her arm over her mouth, Killian standing behind her with her hands on her shoulders trying to steady her. If he could he have seen Angus’ face, he would have seen that he looked confused at the dramatic change in atmosphere.

“I think he’s fine, bubbeleh,” Taako said in an unbearably pleased tone of voice, switching to rubbing his shoulder. “Let’s roll, gotta get that H. W. done before bedtime.”

Finally, Kravitz felt like he had cleared all 18 amazing floral tea healing benefits from his esophagus and opened up his airways enough to breathe, left to wonder why he had reacted like he did. Maybe it had to do with the fact there was a (very perceptive) kid around them. Maybe it was for decency’s sake that he felt like he couldn’t face the people in the room confirming that Taako had slept with him. Kravitz wasn’t stupid, they had probably all seen Taako leave the reception with him the previous night, along with the fact that he was around him a _lot_ in general since he had come to this town. Not to mention earlier when Angus had said it outright that he'd left with Taako, of course.

Nevertheless, Kravitz, in an attempt to salvage his dignity while also pointedly making Carey’s snickering worse, said, “I’m fine. Actually, I should be going if I’m going to get anything else done tonight.” As Kravitz stood up, Taako’s hand slid off of his shoulder and Angus’ similarly off his back, “Thank you for the hospitality Killian, Carey, and for the meal as well, Hathaway, Scales. I’m sure I will be seeing you all again at some point.”

“Anytime, dude,” Carey said as she calmed down just enough to wipe at her eyes and form a sentence.

“Right, cool, hey Krav, can we hitch a ride? It’s cold out.”

As if he hadn’t been about to offer, but that was something he’d noticed about Taako. He was definitely the type of person to come off as selfish, and something in Kravitz knew he should be about a hundred percent more irritated because of the way he’d woken up today having to brave the elements so Taako wouldn’t get soaked through either. In reality, it would have been quicker for both of them to brave the walk and get to their destination sooner, but Kravitz had considered Taako’s outfit potentially getting ruined, amongst other things. It had been in the _way_ he asked though, more like a statement and dumping the responsibility on him. Kravitz could easily see how someone would get frustrated with Taako asking for things as if expecting the outcome of whatever he was asking automatically without the possibility it would not happen.

Kravitz, from his own experiences when it came to people, usually fell on either end of the spectrum where he was hopelessly spineless, or callous depending on how he felt in the relationship whether sexual, romantic, or otherwise. Taako was seeming to come in more toward the spineless end, god help him. For someone he barely knew, Kravitz was bending in every conceivable way. In this instance, frustration aside from the morning, Kravitz dug into his coat pocket and pulled his keys out, “Of course.”

He was used to people taking and taking from him as he gave and gave, but in other ways. What Paloma said about love and relationships came back to him, almost sending a chill up his spine as they all piled into his car. Watching Angus buckle up in the back seat and looking over to Taako to see him looking at him with an unreadable expression, the line about external forces changing his life came back to him. They would continue to do so.

The emotion welling up inside him was almost foreign, and again, he was read as an emotional person, but did he dare examine it? At this moment, no. He preferred the silence of driving the short drive to Taako’s house. At this point, it was still early in the evening, but it was already dark out. The outside light was on, attracting what few insects hadn't died off for the year to the dull yellowish haze behind the glass.

Putting the car in park, Kravitz didn't turn it off. Still, Taako turned in his seat and said, “I'll come in in a sec, pumpkin. Go start that homework.”

“Right, okay! Um, goodnight Kravitz, bye!”

“Goodnight, Angus,” Kravitz replied, looking into the rear view mirror at him.

Once the door to the house closed on Angus’ retreating from, Kravitz turned to Taako and wasn't quite sure what to say from there. Luckily, Taako was the one who spoke, “I don't normally give shit out left and right, but I do have something for you Krav,” and he took his hand, slipping a bracelet onto his wrist. It was lighter than he would expect for the material it was made of; a thick braid of twine with a crystal almost caged up between the wires, coming to hang at the underside of his wrist; it was hard to make out the details in the dark, but he was more focused on Taako’s fingertips caressing his wrist rather daintily. Taako’s fingers lingered on his skin, hesitating before he threaded their fingers, leaning across the seat to cup his cheek with his other hand to drop another lingering kiss that mirrored the one from the morning. It lasted just long enough that Kravitz followed as Taako pulled away from him.

He didn't get far, Kravitz making a rather selfish decision to follow through with the chase for another kiss. He felt almost embarrassed, being shown affection and craving more like that wasn't a normal response that people had. In his past experiences, he had given too much of himself up with no return, or in contrast he just had _not_ been that interested, having flings of convenience. Something in him constricted when he felt Taako grin into this kiss before he pushed lightly on his shoulder and said, “Kiss me like that again my man and I'm gonna go down on you right in front of my house.”

He couldn't help laughing at that, seeming so ridiculous and the opposite of something someone would say if they were attempting to court someone, if he could even compare this situation to a sweet interaction between lovers. A sentiment so Undeniably Taako in a way that was incredibly charming, even while being crass. “What is this gift for?”

“Dope jewelry, looks good and wards off evil and shit, I guess. Speaking of which, did the umbrella come in handy?”

“Actually, yes. Also speaking of the umbrella, any reason why every single person I ran into today knew your umbrella on sight? I can't tell you how many times I got questioned on why I had it,” Kravitz said, almost amused now even if it had been frustrating earlier.

“Fuck if I know, my man,” Taako said dismissively, and before Kravitz could double back and ask anything else about it, he continued, “Guess you've got some shit to do tonight though, huh?”

“I should. I have more information about my missing person now, and a place to go back to.”

“Cool, you should probably go do that, then,” Taako said, making to open the door and step out.

“Before you go, I visited Paloma this morning, and she told me to tell you she had the black, um, tourmalone–”

“Tourmaline.”

“–Tourmaline. She said it's there now, and the other one should be in next week.”

“Shit, fuck yeah. I'll go pick that up tomorrow then. Speaking of her, she do a surprise reading on you and charge you afterward? She _always_ does that, watch out for her,” he said with a chuckle.

Kravitz considered whether or not he wanted to tell him about the reading itself, but decided to end it at, “She absolutely did. Anyway, I suppose I'll see you around, Taako.”

“Take care of yourself stud,” Taako said, finally letting his hand go, turning away and exiting the idling vehicle.

Kravitz waited until he was inside safely before pulling away from the house.

 

 

* * *

  
  


Kravitz couldn't help touching the bracelet he had been given, examining the way the wires twisted together, as well as the crystal in the center. The color of it was interesting, very dark in base color but bright in the way it was refracting light was brilliant. The crystal itself was small, but there was a blue sheen that glittered with gold, varying colors and shades all in between and even beyond into hints of pearlescent dark purples no matter which way he tilted it. The cut was very clean, rounded, but bound perfectly so it would not slip from its crude binding. It was very beautifully made even for a simple construction that Taako probably put together very quickly. The weight of it on his wrist was comfortable, and it was comforting, in a way. Importantly because of the memory of being given it and lips that followed. A good memory, for sure, one that was going to keep him in better spirits than his day had started.

He had gone back to the bar, finding the place to be nearly empty on a Sunday night. Sure, he had discussed it and was suggested by Angus to come here, but his intuition was guiding him here. There was just one lonely soul speaking to the bartender, and another lonely soul at the back at a table. Then himself taking up at the middle of the counter, sitting on a stool and ordering a drink. Certainly, he needed one after the day’s events.

When she placed it down in front of him, Kravitz said, “Thank you. Actually, do you have a moment? I'd like to ask you something.” It was the same woman from a few nights ago who he had initially asked about Noelle.

“Um, sure, what can I do for ya?”

“Well, I am looking for a missing person, and I believe I asked you about her the other night. I know you don't know much else, but since asking I have come across more information.”

“Oh! Right, I remember you now, yeah, still haven't seen her.”

“Actually, by chance I found out more about her and her family. She went missing about a year ago rather than a few months ago like I’d originally believed, but more importantly, she’s part of the Redcheek family.”

Her expression changed, seeming thrilled to hear the name and accordingly exclaiming, “Redcheek?! They make some mighty fine brews, we carry their stock here.”

“That's what I was told, and I understand that you get frequent deliveries as well, do you remember any strange deliveries within the past year?”

“Hm, that’s a tough one. Our deliveries are mostly in the morning when I’m not around, since I cover the late afternoon and night usually. The schedule is usually every Tuesday we get a truck in, and it usually brings us everything at once. It’s only around fall that the Redcheeks do some deliveries here and there, never really with a set schedule. Maybe a few other during the year with their stock, but more frequent ‘round October through December,” she said, leaning against the counter as she thought.

“Around a year ago, were there any deliveries you were expecting that were late?” Kravitz asked, wondering if he was even asking the right question. He didn’t want to get nowhere with this, there was something there that he knew he could uncover, it was just a matter of figuring out the wording. Not to mention, now that he’d found out just this little bit more from Hathaway, the answer felt so much closer.

“Like I said, usually Tuesdays are our delivery days for the rest, but the Redcheeks would fill our orders whenever they came up. Coulda been any day of the week they usually drop by, every couple of weeks. If they were late, I didn’t really notice…” she trailed off, about to elaborate when the person at the end of the bar caught her attention, “Hold that, I’ll be right back.”

Kravitz nodded, and she walked off, by the looks of it getting another drink for her customer. In the meantime, Kravitz rubbed his finger across the twine on his bracelet again. There had to be something else he could ask. Something that would maybe jog her memory or make something stand out as a little strange. It seemed like the Redcheek family wasn’t consistent with their schedule—as much was evident from the conversation. Moreover, she had already disclosed to him that she wasn’t normally around for deliveries. Kravitz had a feeling that the person who _was_ around wouldn’t know much either.

By the time she came back, Kravitz had taken another healthy swallow of his drink, enjoying the burn of liquor down his throat after the day he had. Deciding to come at this a bit differently, he asked, “What’s your name?”

“Ren, and you?”

“Kravitz.”

“Alright, Kravitz, now where were we?”

“You were telling me that the Redcheek deliveries weren’t on a set schedule, and that’s understandable. What else can you tell me about the deliveries? I know you’re not usually around for them, but does anything else come to mind?”

“Well,” Ren took a second to think, turning her head toward the ceiling, in thought. “I know they don’t come through the main road.”

That piqued Kravitz’s interest, and he interrupted her to ask, “Main road meaning the one I came over the bridge on?” The one by the motel at the very edge of town, right by the welcome sign.

“Right, the bridge is why. It’s kinda old and the weight limit is pretty low. Most come up through the valley. There’s an exit off the freeway ‘bout three miles down before the main exit for the main road. The exit empties out onto the bridge, then to the main road. The valley’s just the road that extends _waaaaay_ down past the farm,” she waved in the general direction of the road, gesturing  for the sake of it.

Kravitz remembered the map, still on his person and thankfully not soaked through and ruined from rain. Putting his glass to the side, he unfolded it and placed it down on the counter between them. “Alright, from what I understand, we are here,” Kravitz said, pointing to the bar’s position. “And this is the main road,” he traced the line with his finger, one building next to it marked off as the hotel. “Which way is the farm?”

Kravitz watched her lean, tilting her head a bit to the side, presumably to try and orient herself with the map’s position, “Right, we’re here, and if you go down this way,” her finger started tracing toward the right. Toward the lake. Toward the road that lead to the Miller’s household. Toward the farm after that. Ren traced her finger down the road until it connected with the freeway at an earlier exit. “If you go down this way, that’s the route that all the trucks gotta take that run deliveries into this town, and anything that gets exported goes out the same.”

“I see, that’s definitely good information, thank you Ren.”

“Of course, can I getcha anything else?”

Finishing his drink, Kravitz set the glass down on the counter, proceeding to fold his map back up as he said, “I’m all set, thank you for your assistance again Ren.” Fishing his wallet from his pocket, he set cash on the bar for his tab, and a bit extra as payment for the information.

“Anytime, Kravitz, and you have a good night now.”

“Same to you, take care,” pleasantries exchanged while Kravitz gathered himself and started walking for the door. Now, it was rather late in the evening, and Kravitz was feeling a bit more weary than usual. Explained of course by the harsh wake-up call he had received in the form of his temporary companion, and the taxing day he had encountered, even if he did not do quite that much.

Still, the day didn’t feel like a waste. Again, he had received help from his acquaintances, leading him in the right direction, and now he had a deeply rooted feeling that Lucas had much more to tell him than he had originally let on. The problem was going to be how to approach him, but he would go over that scenario in his head later. It all had to be connected; the lake, the road, Lucas Miller… Whatever was going on in this town, there was no way it wasn’t connected, Kravitz was convinced.

The process of getting pieces of the puzzle was so painstakingly slow, but the more he had, the more he could start to put it together in whichever way might make sense. Now was not the time for that though, and instead Kravitz got back into his car to drive the seconds distance around the corner to the motel, parking in front of his room and cutting the engine. One quick glance to the passenger’s seat revealed that Taako had accidentally left the umbrella in his care. He contemplated leaving it in the car, but decided instead to grab it, once again touching his fingertips to the carvings in the handle.

Opening the door, it seemed a tad more lonely, being in here alone after the company he’d had last night. Not just because of the sex, but being next to someone intimately even in the familiar presence sense had been something he had been lacking for some time. Kravitz turned the lamp on, then moved to place the umbrella in the purple vinyl armchair that Taako had been so fond of. The gaudiness of the chair and the umbrella contrasted impeccably, rather, complementing opposites on the color spectrum.

Kravitz made quick work of readying himself for bed, going through his night routine of skin care and hygiene. Of course, as he climbed into bed, it felt a little empty, but not quite in a bad way as it had when Kravitz had come back here alone the night before last. The feelings associated with that had been quite bad, resulting in a fitful sleep.

Now, Kravitz reached over to turn the lamp out, fingers brushing the forgotten empty bottle of wine, having forgotten to place it elsewhere to be recycled. He caught sight of the crystal in the bracelet again, the light making it glint its array of beautiful colors amidst the construction of the bracelet. No, this feeling he got was one of comfort as he switched the light off and settled into bed and laid on his side, eyes still open. The light from the sign outside was dim through the windows, curtains dampening the neon glow enough to keep the room from being engulfed in total darkness. Even the yellow of the umbrella stood out in the dark, something that stood out to him as an amusing thought. Just like Taako himself, seeming to stand out in the dark of this mystery and somehow guiding him along whether directly or indirectly.

A rogue thought that made him close his eyes with a smile on his lips, at ease and relaxed enough to hopefully get a full night’s sleep.

 

 

* * *

 

  
Elsewhere, a struggle was taking place. The clinking of chains holding, and holding, and straining. They wouldn't hold much longer again, and the fear that they would break and unleash this… this _thing_. This had been a mistake, something that was unable to be fixed, and had barely been contained after it had broken free the first time.

A foe born from great misunderstanding, a gross oversight into forces that should not have been meddled with. It was anguished, confused, scared, and unable to comprehend the situation it was in. The maker, frightened of how they had managed to allow this to happen and swearing to stop tampering with that which was not understood.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey lads, jen here to say i'm going to physically manifest myself into the nearest denny's parking lot and i'm going to astrally fist fight griffin fucking mcelroy for episodes 56 and 57. FIRST OF ALL [my friend](http://archiveofourown.org/users/tangobullets) can attest that the day before episode 56 hit i'd started writing the first part of this chapter and you're gonna understand why i'm so rustled. second, i'm going to fight griffin again for literally going forward in time to read my fic to steal my ideas so he could go back in time and write this great dnd campaign and now everyone will think i'm paying homage when really i planned some shit that griffin is narrating right now. 
> 
> otherwise, i had a good time with this chapter, because i'm getting close to where shit's gonna get good soon. it took a liiiiiiiittle longer than i wanted because there were decisions i had to make in this one just like the last one that're gonna affect the narrative later on. i did have a bit of a hard time with it though because i'm trying to find the best way to write it while also being intimidated by All That Spicy Discourse all over the internet which is why I havent attempted to really talk to anyone in this fandom......... i'm on [tungbnlr](http://www.slimejen.tumblr.com) and [twitt](http://www.twitter.com/somegarbageisok) if u wanna say hi tho :^)
> 
> mostly edited, but i anger wrote the last 3k of this in the past few hours so i might go back and make changes but i always say that and dont so ༽(΄◞ิ౪◟ิ‵)༼
> 
> but as always thank you everyone who leaves me comments and kudos and says nice things on the internet about my fic ♥

When he came into awareness, Kravitz had the distinct feeling he was being watched.

His hair was standing on end, sufficiently intimidated by whatever was causing the sensation. An unmistakable sense of some otherworldly force observing him, noting every breath he took and every move he made. Eyes closed, he wasn’t quite sure of where the sensation was coming from, just that as he floated in and out of consciousness, the feeling was getting stronger.

An unpleasant sensation that was mildly blood chilling, the darkness creeping in on him even as he remained unseeing of where he was. Truly, where was he? Kravitz had no idea, feeling like he was floating through time and space itself in no particular direction. Something that he reasoned should feel more comfortable than it did—it certainly felt _familiar_ , being in a space filled with nothing, made of nothing. Almost nostalgic, like he had returned to his natural order even if he had no idea what this was currently.

This empty space was freezing in a way where Kravitz felt like he had never been warm in his life, almost numb to the sensation. Like it was a part of him, like it always had been. The familiarity, however, was not acceptance of the impression this oppressive force was having on him. Quite the opposite, Kravitz wanted to get as far away from it as possible. A hair’s breadth away from afraid, more timid about being in the same proximity as it—whatever _it_ was.

He had definitely been alone when he had gone to sleep, and with that realization came the awareness of the possibility this was a dream. If this were a dream, though, Kravitz was certain he would have already found a way to wake up from it. With that thought coming to him, Kravitz tried opening his eyes, unable to lift his lids that felt pinned by weights. Or maybe his eyes were open and the absence of light or color or _anything_ was obscuring his sight. Even more alarming than being unable to see was that he couldn’t hear anything. The silence was near deafening, not even the faint, perpetual ringing in his ears that usually accompanied his quiet moments was present. Cold, silent, absent. He felt like he wasn’t breathing, like his lungs had never been used.

Then, it shifted. Whatever _it_ was. Each sense came back to him all at once, throwing him off balance as if he were experiencing a myoclonic jerk, but without waking up in a cold sweat in bed at four in the morning. The sudden sound of machinery was almost deafening, the grinding of gears and scraping of metal from an unknown source. He could feel his pulse racing in his chest, in his whole _body_ practically as he moved his limbs experimentally to try and grab onto anything at all to ground himself, but there was nothing.

As if a switch had been flipped and the scene changed, Kravitz truly felt afraid for his life when _thousands_ of eyes materialized out of thin air, in black and white, staring at him. Blinking. Accompanied by a distant, eerie laughter that he almost didn’t hear if not for the machinery sounds becoming more inconsistent, like a compact disc skipping. Replaced by the simmering sound of static, the eyes glitching out of existence like a television’s reception obscuring as the antennae were adjusted just one millimeter too far and losing the whole picture.

Kravitz was falling. He was falling fast, plummeting toward what would surely be his death, he realized with panic rising in his chest. A death he was not ready for with so much to do. Was he going to die here without solving his case? Without returning home…

Home.

An empty place, equally as empty as this void he was tumbling through. Just as lonely, just as anxiety inducing. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, on second thought. If he solved this case, what was left for him? A home he shared with nobody, a home that was devoid of warmth, filled with only the most basic of comforts that let him live his life. Details that were washed away as he was submerged beneath an inky blackness that was unable to be explained—it certainly wasn't water, but he still felt like he was drowning. Like something was pulling him under. Thousands of hands tugging him further from the turbulent surface as he lost his breath, lungs flooding with something heavy and thick despite how hard he was fighting against it.

Swirling lights filled his vision until he was dizzy, until he became sluggish and his limbs grew stiff again. The less he fought, the less abysmal the outcome was seeming. He felt himself being pulled almost tenderly into warmth, into a calmer sea that felt welcoming, almost like an embrace.

An embrace that he was falling into effortlessly, like he had been caught lovingly. Cradled against a form that was taking a more solid shape, face pressed into a soft chest while arms circled around him. Everything else faded away except for this feeling, except for words murmured into his hair that he couldn't hear, only able to feel the vibrations. His own arms fell almost naturally around the form, desperate to feel grounded and safe. Desperate for some sort of contact to remind him he was _alive_.

Was this what he was lacking? This type of security he couldn't get by himself, through whatever flimsy interpersonal relationships he had. Opening his eyes again, Kravitz noticed that void that had been around him had finally been replaced, the swirling colors solidifying into hundreds, thousands, _millions_ of crystals. As many as there were stars in the sky. They were beautiful, and Kravitz wondered if these shattered, would he obtain another glimpse into his future? Into the arms cradling him, the powerful feeling blossoming in his chest as he relaxed and floated through this more peaceful reality.  

If only he knew who this was, or if they were a metaphysical manifestation of his subconscious, which was more likely.

How unfortunate that the whole scene along with the person holding him melted away as he woke up with his face pressed against his unfortunately damp pillow, probably having been drooling the entire night. Kravitz rationalized immediately in his groggy state that his mind must have felt the dampness against his skin and ran with it in his dreams. He didn’t even know what time it was, but Kravitz turned the pillow over to the other, drier side. It was much cooler, temperature shocking him back into awareness even as his head felt like it was pounding.

The more he tried to think about it, the more it slipped away from him until all he could remember was someone, or rather, some _thing_ taking the turbulence away. Cracking his eyes open, it was barely light out from what was filtering in through the curtains. The cheap clock on the bedside table was obscured by the empty wine bottle that he would have to dispose of later for sure, but for now he was far too lazy to move it. Just barely comfortable even after shifting around as he woke up.

Even underneath the comforter, Kravitz felt the coldness of the room around him start to seep through as he came into awareness. Putting his dream behind him, Kravitz wiped the remnants of sleep from his eyes, trying to find the motivation to get up now that he was awake. A shower sounded good, definitely some coffee at some point. With a sigh, Kravitz rolled onto his back and pulled the covers up as he stretched in place, feeling his bones crack and joints pop. He laid there for a little while longer with the promise to himself that he would move in a few minutes.

  


* * *

  
  


A few minutes had turned into an hour of drifting in and out of sleep as he tried as hard as possible to turn his blanket into a cocoon so that he could pupate and come out having solved his case. Luck hadn't been on his side though, waking back up with a headache brewing behind his eyes and feeling even foggier. Kravitz had forced himself up out of bed after that, getting up and doing his morning routine (spending some extra time in the shower to help him feel even vaguely more alive).

A look out the window after he had gotten dressed revealed that it was lightly drizzling out again, but nowhere near the intensity of the day previous. Kravitz spared a look at the umbrella and almost left it behind, but at the last moment he grabbed it and took it with him. He couldn't get over how gaudy it was, but Kravitz felt compelled to keep it with himself. His car took a few turns to get started, briefly giving him a horrible spike of anxiety before he got it started.

At this time of day, which turned out to be just before 7, according to his watch, most of the breakfast rush was gone already since most of the town seemed to work on an early laborer schedule. There were only a few people lingering in booths, one at the end of the counter as Kravitz walked into the diner. He half expected to see Taako, but instead saw Carey wiping down a table before lugging a tub of dishes toward the back. When she saw him as she walked past, she said, “Hey Krav! Sit anywhere, I'll be right back.”

He chose a seat at the counter, plucking one of the menus from the register on the way even though he was mostly sure of what he wanted. When Carey came back, he said, “Good morning.”

“Mornin’, know what you want or do you want a second?”

“Yeah, I need a second. But, I'm curious, already back to work? The wedding was two days ago.”

“What? Oh, duh, yeah. We’re gonna leave this weekend coming up. There was a super important thing Killian’s gotta help Lucretia with this week. Before you ask, she's the mayor, and she's the one that walked Killian down the aisle,” Carey said almost solemnly, and it was clear that there was definitely a loaded answer if he were to choose to ask why, so it was best to put that to bed for now.

“I see,” Kravitz said, taking a moment to think back to how he had mistaken Lucretia for Killian’s mother. Still, he continued, “Well, safe travels on the honeymoon.”

“Of course,” Carey said before she took his order. Before she walked it back, she said, “By the way, after you left last night, like, an hour or so later, I got a call from Magnus. Apparently Taako won’t stop bringing up Lucas and whatever shit he’s involved in. He said if I saw you before he did, to tell you to go find him so you can both go break his arms, or something.”

Kravitz was taken aback for a moment, definitely perplexed by the whole thing. “Is he at home?”

“Yeah, he’s home this morning as far as I know, but he said Taako was driving him bananas with this Lucas shit, I’d ask him the details, he didn’t really say.”

“Right, thank you for relaying the message. I’ll head there after I eat.”

Nodding, Carey pinned the order up for the cook to get to through the line window, then went about getting him his much needed coffee. She was a saint when he asked if she had any pain killers, taking a bottle from underneath the register and handing it over. Caffeinated and ibuprofen making quick work of his headache, Kravitz felt closer to human again, especially after putting food into his stomach.

He made quick work of paying, making his way back out to the car grateful that he had a clear direction to go in. The strange dream he’d had was continuing to get further and further from him, but more importantly, everything today felt more transparent. Lucas seemed to be the next logical step anyway, going back to question him after all of the information he’d gathered. If he had someone with him that Lucas was intimidated by, that would be even more effective. Truth be told, Kravitz was absolutely intimidated by Magnus as well. A gruff man who looked like he _could_ physically harm him beyond comprehension, but the more he saw of him and heard about him, he knew he was probably a lot softer than appearances would let on.

Half past seven, Kravitz pulled up in front of Taako’s house and cut the engine, going up the steps to knock on the door. To his surprise, Angus was the one who answered, one shoe on and his jacket pulled on, but unzipped. “Kravitz!”

Kravitz felt a swell of affection for Angus who was always neat as a pin looking so disheveled, and he chuckled as he said, “Good morning, Angus, may I come in?”

“Oh, yes,” stepping to the side, Angus let him inside before closing the door behind him, “Taako is still asleep, but if you want I can go wake him up for you.”

“Ah, no, that won't be necessary, I'm actually here for Magnus today,” Kravitz said, feeling a bit awkward for the assumption that he was here for Taako.

“He's in the kitchen,” Angus said as they walked around the corner together where Magnus came into view. “Did you find out more about the case?”

“Nu-uh little man, time for you to get your butt to school,” Magnus said with his back to them, reaching into the fridge. “I don't want this skipping thing being normal,” Magnus gestured with a carton of juice in hand, “Ango, go put that brain to work.”

“We can catch you up later, Angus,” Kravitz said, agreeing with Magnus on this one despite the pleading eyes for an update before he went off to school. “We will likely know more by the time you get home from your studies anyway, and I’ll be able to ask for your insight then.”

Huffing quietly in disappointment, Angus nodded as he said, “Okay,” pausing as he zipped up his jacket and grabbed his backpack from a chair at the kitchen table, “I'll see you later!” Then he went around the corner again presumably to get his other shoe, but before Kravitz could address Magnus, Angus stuck his head around the corner again and rushed out, “Love you, bye!”

“Love you too kid,” Magnus called after him as he turned the corner. Kravitz heard the door open, close again, but footsteps racing back toward them as Magnus sighed and said, “Here we go.”

Angus rushed past him and pushed into Magnus, giving him a hug lasting a few moments, Magnus tapping him on the head with the juice carton gently and other arm wrapped loosely around his shoulders. Angus pulled away, then hesitated just a moment before flying into Kravitz to give him a bone crushing hug that knocked the metaphorical wind from him and made his heart clench at the sweet gesture. Kravitz stiffly patted him on the back before Angus sheepishly pulled away and said goodbye again as he left the house in a rush, this time for real.

Kravitz stood there for a moment processing what just happened before he cleared his threat and said, “Carey told me you were looking for me?”

Magnus had leaned back against the sink counter, an incredibly gaudy Jeff Angel emblazoned collectible plastic cup full of juice in hand as he said, “If I gotta hear Taako go off one more time about Lucas I'm gonna go rough up that buttwipe myself. It's all, blah blah I don't trust him, and blah blah _fuck_ Lucas. And yeah, _fuck_ Lucas, but I don't need to be reminded every single second. He found me last night when I was out back doing woodwork and he comes in yammering,” Magnus throws on his best Taako impression by the sound of it, voice picking up in pitch, “‘Hey big guy, another fuckin’ thing about Lucas,’ and later on after that when I was trying to watch Animal Planet and he sat there reading before slamming the book down and saying some other shit. He was doing that the other day too. If barf boy's hiding some shit and you gotta talk to him again anyway, I'm down to shake it out of him if he won’t spill.”

Kravitz couldn’t help chuckling quietly imagining Taako as Magnus had imitated, somehow able to picture the scenes perfectly. “Is this a common occurrence?”

“Normally he catches me up on the hot gossip, but since you guys went to that turd’s junkyard, Taako hasn't stopped. I'm gonna go nuts if we don't lay this to rest,” draining his cup, Magnus put it in the sink behind him, walking the carton back to the fridge. “You game?”

Kravitz thought hard about that, because his original plan was to do a drive of the delivery truck route to see if there was anything amiss. Even if it had been over a year, maybe something would stick out. Sitting down on one of the chairs, he said, “I have more questions I could ask him, I suppose. We can head there after I do a drive around; I spoke to Carey’s sister in law as well as Ren last night and found out some more information about my missing person–”

“Cool, I don’t know like any of the details, catch me up?” Magnus interrupted him just as Kravitz had been about to do just that. “Wait, lemme get out of my jammies, then catch me up.”

Kravitz nodded and watched Magnus shuffle back toward his room in Garfield slippers, green flannel pants, and a gray shirt that all looked incredibly comfortable, making him yearn just a little to be back in bed. To be done with this whole case that was turning out to be more physically and emotionally draining than any other case before it. Once it was done, he’d need a long, long rest.

When Magnus rejoined him, Kravitz stood back up and they headed for the car while he gave the summary of his case in more full detail than he realized he would need to give. Magnus had been mostly absent for all of the revelations along the way, and after he’d imparted all of his information to him, Magnus said, “So basically, she’s been missing for over a year, presumed dead, last seen with a delivery driver who came home alone, and the truck drove past dipshit’s,” Magnus said nodding in the direction of the road that had just come up on their left.

“That’s the gist of it, yes,” Kravitz said as they continued driving. The main road was longer than he expected, only just now reaching where Lucas’ road started, and it had taken more than a couple of minutes to go over all the details. “And if I’m not mistaken, the farm is a few more minutes down the road.”

“No beef, but why are we driving all the way out? I’m not seeing anything strange, and I’d also remember some weird shit happening last year. I know you know news travels fast, I know I’d have heard something if shit happened,” Magnus said while pointedly looking out the window for clues to help him out, and truly, Kravitz did appreciate it. He was noticing more and more that Magnus sounded far gruffer than he actually meant, but not in a bad way. Kravitz knew he was going to be invaluable to intimidation.

“Sometimes, you have to get into the head of the person you’re trying to find. Go through their routines, travel where they’ve traveled. You have to think how they were thinking, and that can open up some understanding,” Kravitz said, not really knowing a better way to explain it.

“I think I get it, like, we might not notice something driving this way that we’ll notice on the way back. Or something like that.”

Something almost like that, but Kravitz hummed his agreeance as they drove on, dropping the sentiment. The scenery in late autumn was beautiful. Up the coast this far, there wasn’t a lot of foliage that turned, overshadowed by the thick pine covering. Sure, the cover of deciduous trees as the valley opened up was more apparent, but on the hills and along the less traveled route, most of the trees didn’t shed their leaves. The grey sky was lightening as the sun came up behind them, but there was no break in the clouds with a light misting that was more annoying than anything. Kravitz had to manually turn the wipers on every time he needed to clear the windshield since the lowest setting was still too frequent for him, the squeaking of his wipers nearly driving him mad. He needed to get them changed as soon as he could.

A silence fell over them that was only a touch awkward, but soon enough the farm came into view and Magnus pointed it out, “There it is, Redmond’s farm. Way outta town is still some ways off, are we gonna keep going until the end? Nothing else really out here.”

“I want to go a little longer, but while we’re driving, I don’t think I’ve heard much about Redmond besides the basics from Angus. I heard his farm supplies a good portion of the food around here?”

“Yeah, he’s got a lot of land and he grows a lot of stuff. Lots of vegetables, an’ lots of apples too. He’s got a good amount of cattle too, he supplies a lot of meat to the market. But he’s a good dude otherwise, always super nice and helpful, and I’ve got some wicked beard envy,” Magnus rubbed his bare chin almost sadly, Kravitz saw from the corner of his eye, “Diner won’t let me keep one without a nerdo hair net; they say the sideburns are pushing it too, but I would die before I gave these puppies up. Anyway, Redmond’s like a cool uncle or something, hell of a cook too.”

“Angus had mentioned that he has a lot of respect from the people in town,” before he could continue, Magnus interrupted again.

“Oh, yeah, absolutely. Dude’s a saint, like I said, always super nice. A lot of people come around harvest time to help him out with the tough field work.”

“That’s very kind of others; I’ve gathered that this is a very close-knit community,” an observation that didn’t need to be made, of course. That much was more than apparent thus far. They had gone past the entrance of the farm some ways, and Kravitz could feel in his gut that if they went any further, there wouldn’t be anything to see. Just a road traveled thousands of times that Kravitz was looking for the one tiny detail to confirm, well, anything.

“Generally, we all help each other out, and we look after each other,” Magnus said as Kravitz stopped in the middle of the road to take a wide turn to point them back in the other direction. “Except for the obvious.”

“Everyone is confirming the story that Taako gave me that somehow he managed to piss you off, and the vagueness leaves me wondering what he did,” Kravitz said as his eyes scanned the side of the road for anything strange, nothing yet however.

“Yeah, uh…” Magnus paused for an extended moment, “Yeah he was being a fucking dick to my friend about something and I wasn't having it. He kept going on with it like insisting about, uh, something. It's been so long I kinda don't remember I guess,” Magnus said, clearing his throat after. “Kinda don't like him on principle alone.” A quick glance to the side, and Magnus was pointedly looking away, hand closest to the window pressed to his face. His answer had been quick, but his body language was withdrawn as if he wasn't being so truthful. Kravitz decided not to push, because it really wasn't so important.

That's when Kravitz saw it, after passing the farm one more time, a little closer to the road that lead to the Miller household. There was a gap in the trees that he had missed earlier, almost too subtle to notice. Just where the guard rail ended, which was noticeably crumpled from some kind of collision.

It could have been _literally_ anything, anything at all could have dented the rail. Kravitz could _feel_ it calling to him practically as he pulled over and cut the engine on his car. There were a million reasons a tree trunk could be snapped on the side of the road. It could have been an (incredibly) strong wind, rough weather, age, or maybe a large animal. Or, a car. A delivery truck.

It could have been any truck that hit the rail as it swerved, crashed into a tree, then gotten towed. Kravitz could feel his heart suddenly racing as he got out of the car, walking into the slight dip from the road to the trunk of a pretty sizable birch tree that was cracked in half, the top of the tree having rolled to the side. He was, by no means, an expert in car crashes or damage done by them, but the split wasn't clean. Nor was it like a natural break, a very odd split indeed. The tree was far enough away from the road that Kravitz could surmise that if the truck had crashed, provided it was averagely sized, it would have absolutely gotten stuck because of the dip.

Kravitz nearly jumped out of his skin when Magnus whistled next to him and said, “That's quite a split.” He didn't answer as he looked at the scene, no noticeable debris on the ground, even though there was an impressive covering of old pine needles and leaves on the ground, orange with age and damp from the recent rains.

His pulse jumped into his throat as he noticed the barest opaque glint on the ground, bending down to pick up a shattered headlight piece, pushing back some of the leaf cover to see more pieces of the dirty glass. Definitely a crash, definitely what he was looking for the more he brushed aside the foliage. Standing up, he walked backwards as he surveyed the scene, looking for any other signs.

Kravitz’s life flashed before his eyes as his foot landed awkwardly on something, making him slip backwards and fall almost in slow motion. Anticipating hitting the ground hard, it never came as Magnus grabbed onto his wrist at the last second and tugged him back up onto his feet. “Whoa there my man, watch where you're steppin’.”

Steadying himself and sufficiently scared out of his accent, Kravitz said, “Thank you, holy shit,” looking down at his feet as he turned around to find the culprit. Underneath the leaves, he saw another almost transparent bit of glass, but as he bent down to uncover it, it was solid, unbroken.

A glass bottle that Kravitz couldn't turn around fast enough to look at the label. It was mostly intact, a giant apple on the front, the words REDCHEEK HARD CIDER emblazoned in a bold font. It felt as if the world stopped for a moment while Kravitz stood up with the bottle in hand, metal cap still on and still full. It was heavy in his hand, in his heart, begging the question of how it came to be on the ground from inside the truck.

There was no doubt in his mind that there was a crash, that much was obvious from the snapped tree and the broken glass. They had crashed, but that wouldn’t have been enough to jostle the back door of a delivery truck open so a bottle could conveniently roll out intact. Not without leaving behind more, probably smashed bottles. How had Noelle disappeared from there? It was safe to assume that the crash had been on the passenger’s side, which would mean where she had most likely been sitting. It was logical to assume that she had probably been injured in the crash, but whether or not it had been fatal was impossible to determine with what limited evidence and conjecture he had.

Magnus placed a hand on his shoulder and broke him out of his reverie. “Is that what I think it is? Hoooly shit.”

“Yeah, it is.”

They had to have been towed out, and Kravitz asked, “Where’s the closest garage? Do they have a tow truck?”

“Uh, yeah, back in town in the way opposite direction we’ve got the garage, why?”

“I’m positive the delivery truck crashed, and it would have had to have been pulled out of this ditch.”

“Oh dip, that’s a really good point. Yeah, I’m not on the best terms with the Hammerhead garage, but when I had a car I’d get Sloane to do all the work on it until it shat the bucket. She’s like, way better with cars anyway, but she doesn’t do tow jobs; doesn’t have the hardware for that.”

Kravitz remembered hearing that name, and he asked, “Isn’t she the one that Taako said works at the market?”

“Part time there, but half the people who own cars go to her for basic work under the table, uh, and that is _off_ the record,” Magnus said, whispering at the end, making Kravitz chuckle.

“I’m not going to report her to the IRS for unreported income, Magnus.”

“Great! So, like, this is all fuckin’ sketchy, and it’s super close to douchebag’s place. I’m ready to go act like I’m gonna break his face,” Magnus said, looking down the road in the direction of the dirt one that would lead to the Miller household.

“Right, I’ve got some additional questions I could ask him, but _please_ no face breaking,” Kravitz said while walking back to the car, Magnus in tow.

 

 

* * *

  
  


“No! No, no, god no, _please_ no, get him away from me,” was all Kravitz heard as soon as they stepped toward one of the sheds on the Miller property. He barely saw a blur of color in the shape of a person run toward the house. It seemed just the mere sight of Magnus sent Lucas running.

“Dude come back, I'm not here to kill you,” Magnus half shouted back even as he fumbled for the door to the house to open, rushing inside and slamming it shut. “Honest!”

“I don't believe you!” Lucas yelled, muffled from behind his front door.

“Mr. Miller, please come out,” Kravitz said, walking up the steps. “I'm here to ask you some additional questions.”

“Do you have a warrant? Please get him out of here, I'm not coming out,” Lucas said, jumbled up and going from thought to thought very quickly, speaking just as quick.

Kravitz leaned against the door, feeling a tiredness for this already seeping into his bones. “There's no warrant for your arrest, especially because I don't preside over this jurisdiction, Mr. Miller. You haven't done anything wrong. What I _have_ been authorized to do is ask questions, and that is what I wish to do. Mr. Burnsides is here with me because he was providing his expertise on something I was previously investigating before I came by,” he said, throwing a white lie in there for Lucas’ benefit more than anything. He hadn't expected such a visceral reaction.

“I'm not coming out!” Came his panicked, nasally voice.

“Would you prefer we speak through the door, Mr. Miller? Or if this is a bad time, I can come back later. I also want to emphasize that I have questions that have come up as I've done my investigation into my missing person case that I need answered. I just need a few moments of your time.”

There was a long pause before the door cracked open enough for Kravitz to see a peek of his dark skin and his distrustful eyes squinting from behind his glasses. “I'll talk to you, but not while _he_ is here.”

“Listen, I haven't _done_ anything yet.”

“Yet!”

“I'll stay right where I am,” Magnus said, halfway between the car and the house, hands that had been in his pockets coming up as if in surrender.

“Last time you said that I ended up with my _f ace_ in the dirt,” Lucas said, clearly upset at the memory.

“Maybe next time don't talk shit to my friends, and you wouldn't face consequences,” Magnus said a little louder, forcefully.

Lucas, a bit louder than Magnus, started, “Tell Johann that I'm only thinking of the whole town’s _safety_ –”

“What's with all the shouting?” Maureen interrupted them, all three looking toward another one of the sheds on the property, but before Kravitz could respond, she continued, “Is there a problem?”

“No problem ma’am, I'm tailing along while Kravitz does his detective thing, like, pretend I'm invisible,” Magnus cut back in.

“Everything is fine Mrs. Miller, I just wanted to ask some follow up questions that have come to light since I came around last week, and I was hoping to speak to Lucas. Unfortunately, it seems we are at an impasse, as I had sought Magnus out to help me with what I was doing previous to coming here. I had no idea I would receive such a reaction if he were to accompany me back here,” Kravitz said looking toward her, then back at Lucas who was still behind the protection of the door. Meanwhile Kravitz was still trying to process the conversation before Maureen interrupted them. Most importantly, who was Johann? Not to mention what had he meant by the safety of the town? Kravitz put that in the back of his mind to pick over later, for now, he wanted to avoid physical altercations at all costs. He had severely underestimated just what the consequences would be to this whole situation, and it was all very confusing.

Breathing in deep, Lucas opened the door a bit more, calling out, “It’s fine, mother. I’ll be fine,” Kravitz followed Lucas’ line of sight to Maureen, who looked skeptical. He followed up with, “I was surprised, but as long as we can all be _adults_ here, I’ll talk to you.”

“If you’re sure, Lucas…”

“I’m sure mother, you can go back to working if you want,” he said, and after a few moments Maureen sighed deeply and went back into the shed she had been in. “Now, um, that was embarrassing. I just didn’t expect you back, and certainly not with… Magnus.”

“No hard feelings, but I do have some questions to follow up with. My investigation has gone deeper, and I have since found out much more bout my missing person, Noelle Redcheek–”

Lucas interrupted him with, “Redcheek! You didn’t mention that last time, I’ve heard the name before. Part of the family with the cider fortune?”

That was the second time that was brought up, and Kravitz was finding it hard to remember the previous times he had spoken about her. Had he really never said her last name? He must have, there was no way he would have gone so long looking for a missing person without asking about her in full name, _especially_ with a last name that was so recognizable. “Yes… That’s the same family.”

“I uh, still don’t know why you’re asking me though.”

“Well, I’m getting to that. She has been missing for about a year, as it turns out. Far longer than I originally had thought. I was fortunate enough to find her cousin, as she was in town for her sister in law’s wedding, and she was kind enough to tell me more about the family business and that Noelle sometimes helped on outbound deliveries.” Pausing, Kravitz took a moment to decide how to word his information. Something about Lucas had him on edge, his nervous energy infecting Kravitz; he could feel something suspicious lurking just beneath the surface, unable to place what it was just yet. Everyone he came across didn’t trust Lucas, and Kravitz wasn’t sure what he was feeling in his gut whether it be distrust or a curious caution. Whatever it was wasn’t sitting right with him. “Because of the connection to the cider, I went and asked around the bar, and through that, I was told the delivery route was different from the main road.”

“Right, because of the bridge being unstable which I have, for the record, been trying to get Lucretia to put it in the budget to fix for _years_ . I even have plans drawn up for a better bridge, but the mountain is taking precedence, I _guess_ ,” Lucas ended almost bitterly, which in itself was implying that Lucas was far more involved in the town than he originally thought. Maybe he would have to give the mayor a visit, but of course not right now.

“What I found though is very, very strange. Mr. Miller, about a year ago, did you notice anything strange around here? I'm inclined to believe Ms. Redcheek was on a delivery when the truck swerved off the road, and ended up crashing,” Kravitz watched his face closely, “Did anyone come by for help? I investigated what I think to be the scene of the crash, and it was on the main road that connects to yours. The crash was between Redmond’s farm and your road, but yours was closer.”

Kravitz could feel his own body grow cold, a deep, uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach as he watched Lucas’ eyes go up toward his brow, hand coming over his mouth as he swallowed hard and said, “I don't remember anything like that, are you sure?”

“It's… conjecture, at best,” Kravitz said, keeping the details to himself of the glass he'd found at the scene, as well as the bottle of the brew. “I don't have much evidence, but I have a hunch.”

“Pretty big hunch, but, ah,” Lucas laughed nervously, “I don't recall anything like that.” He looked past him, and Kravitz turned to where Magnus was. Out of thin air he seemed to have procured a half carved block of wood, and a carving knife he was shaving wood off the block with as he stared right ahead. “Um, yeah, was that all you had to ask?”

“I also had a quick question about the incident at the church. I know that you have a history with Magnus and Taako and, well, whoever else associated with them. I'm not sure how reliable the information is, but I was told you keep a pretty regular schedule, as in, Monday's you go to the market, Friday's you visit Paloma. I wanted to clarify how you knew about Cassidy’s implication about the incident? It was a Thursday–”

“F-For god’s sake, they make it sound like I never leave the house otherwise, I _do_ go into town more often, um, I was uh, I was in town,” Kravitz wasn't sure if what he was seeing was anger or nervousness, maybe even a mix of both emotions. “I uh, I saw Cassidy in the back of the police vehicle, and I put two and two together with that noise.”

Which wasn't explaining how he knew about the church. Or what he had been doing in town. Anything, really. If anything, the answer was far more suspicious based on what he knew, “I see. And that was as you were doing what?”

“Am I being interrogated?” Lucas said, taking a step back. Kravitz could hear Magnus quietly mocking his nasally voice behind them, and that had Lucas visibly annoyed, “Real funny, ha ha Magnus. That’s how it’s gonna be? I have sinus issues, and I _know_ I’ve told you and your friends before. Actually, you know what? I’m done.”

“To clarify, no, you’re not being interrogated–”

“Great, well, I have work I was doing before I was interrupted. Work that I’m going to continue to do, can you please leave now?” Lucas sounded a bit jittery as he said it, like they were encroaching on him about to pounce.

“Right, I understand. My apologies for the harassment from my temporary assistant. It’s about time we leave anyway. If I have further questions and I have to seek you out–”

“A-Actually, you’re not welcome on the property. You can leave, and please don’t come back around. I’d really appreciate that. No offense, but we don’t _know_ anything, a-and you aren’t with the local police so you really don’t have that kind of authority, as you said before. Thank you,” Lucas said as he turned around and went back to the front door of the house, walking inside and shutting the door.

Kravitz was stunned, standing there for a few moments, blinking, especially as he heard the soft sound of Lucas’ back hitting the door making it strain out toward the frame. Almost as if he were a child in their bedroom with an imagined monster on the other side that had scared them during the night after getting up. Turning back toward Magnus, he looked a bit sheepish, but more genuinely surprised as well. They both went back to the car, getting in as Kravitz watched the door, but unlike last time, Lucas wasn’t peeking out.

Only when Kravitz had turned the car on and was driving away did Magnus speak, “I didn’t think he’d get pissed like that.”

“Well, Magnus, if my understanding is correct, you all have been torturing him,” Kravitz said, placing that blame on Magnus for now.

“Because he’s a nerd!”

Which brought back to mind what he’d been saying about Johann, and Kravitz asked, “Who was he talking about? Johann? He said something about Johann, and something about the safety of the town. What was that about?”

“Er,” Magnus said, clearing his throat, “That’s my friend he was being a fuckin’ turd to, and that shit about safety was just that. Bullshit. The facts are he’s an asshole, and he’s a liar. What was with him throwing you out for good?”

Kravitz debated how to answer, quite ready to call Magnus out on his own bullshit, because it was clear that his answer was incredibly hypocritical. Instead of that though, he wanted to move on with this. “I can understand, I too would be quite upset if someone came onto my property, mocked me to my face while their cohort seemed to be accusing me of wrongdoing. Not a good move, I’ll say,” Kravitz said, feeling a little irritated, but also knowing that the conversation was not going to go much elsewhere.

“Listen, bud, I’m sorry I fucked it up! But I was also like _two_ seconds from knocking him on his ass.”

“It’s fine, rather, I was still able to determine that he truly does know more than he is letting on, and that he is hiding something. As for what it is, I can't be sure,” Kravitz said as they got back onto the main road.

“We _all_ could have told you that,” Magnus said as if it were the most obvious conclusion in the world.

“And you _have_ , but must I reiterate that my job as a detective involves gathering evidence? Even if I brought my conjecture to Isaac, I would be laughed out of his office again. I have a better understanding of what exactly happened, but there are so many questions left. Did you want to accompany me to the garage?”

Magnus sucked in a breath through his teeth, and he said, “I'm not sure sure about that. Last time I went to Hammerhead garage, I _kiiiiiinda_ accidentally almost killed someone. I was trying to see if they needed an extra hand around the shop since I'm not bad under the hood, but I beefed it and someone got pinned under a car they were working on. Not sure if Marvey will be alright with me in there,” Magnus said, laughing nervously at the end.

“Should I drop you off back at your flat?” Somehow, Kravitz wasn't surprised by that bit of information. He was also debating in the first place whether now was the right time to go or not, almost skeptical if this would actually lead to anything.

“Well, they're real rowdy boys, and they can be kinda gruff. If you want a big scary dude with you so they don't like… tell you to fuck off, I'm your guy.”

“That’s kind of you Magnus, but I must ask if you being there will end like this just ended, demanding I leave the property,” Kravitz said, actually a little more amused by the situation now as well, even with how disastrous it had been.

“Listen man, how was I supposed to know?!”

Kravitz didn’t answer, instead choosing to say, “Since I’m not sure where it is, you can escort me. And if anyone is rude, though I’m sure I can handle myself, you can be the ‘big scary dude’ if you wish.”

  


* * *

  
  
  


The garage itself was a bit run down, upon first inspection. If there was such a thing as a ‘bad’ part of this microscopic town, this would have been it. The mechanics sitting about looked as rough as they came, almost like some sort of street gang straight out of Grease, but ten years after the golden years of their youth. There was a massive scrap yard behind a chain link fence, the gate on it closed off. In front of the fence were a few less completely junked cars, obviously waiting to be fixed even though nobody seemed to be in a hurry to do these repairs since the main garage was empty on both sides. There was another, smaller garage next to the building that Kravitz could see had a car underneath a tarp, but that was at a quick glance.

Of course as they pulled up, all eyes and attention were on them. Two of them straightened up as they both got out of the car, two of the others turned right away and went back to their own business, and one of them went inside to the attached office.

“Nu-uh, you ain’t welcome here, Burnsides,” the smaller of the two who had come to attention said in an almost comically cartoonish gangster from the ‘20s-esque voice.

“Hey, Jerreeee, I’m not here to cause a fight. My friend here’s a detective, and we’ve got like. A super quick question. _Super_ quick. I won’t touch anything, I won’t even go inside. Is Marvey around?” Magnus said, to Kravitz’s relief. Well, he was more relieved that Magnus seemed to be taking this more seriously and wasn’t going to get them in hot water.

The other person stood up, looking them over, and said, “And what makes you think we’d do you that favor after you put Barbara in the infirmary?”

“How many times do I gotta tell you it was an accident! Listen, I said I was sorry, I carved him a sick lookin’ duck, and he _forgave_ me,” Magnus said rather convincingly, and for a moment, it almost looked like they were going to let him go.

Eventually, the smaller man, Jerry? He said, “He was on crutches for three months, guy, you’s guys better get outta here, I don’t care _what_ you need.”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Kravitz heard a voice behind them, and a rather normal man appeared. He looked more like an accountant than someone who should be in a garage. “I overheard, but why does a detective wanna talk to us? We didn’t hear or see nuthin’.”

“Well, let me explain,” Kravitz finally said, stepping forward a bit instead of watching the scene from the sidelines. “My name is Kravitz, and I’m working on a missing person case–”

“We didn’t see _nobody_ ,” another one of the mechanics said, interrupting him.

“Um, well, it’s not so much about her, but, her name is Noelle Redcheek. She’s a teenager, red hair, average build, but more importantly she’s been missing for about a year. What we want to ask about is related to her disappearance about a year ago. I was investigating what I believe was the scene of a delivery truck crash,” Kravitz said, pausing to see if that jogged any memories between anyone here now, but nobody picked up, so he continued, “She wouldn’t have been the driver, but she was frequently helping on deliveries for her family’s business. About a year ago, I am certain she was a passenger in the truck when it crashed. The site of the crash was on the main road between the entrance to Redmond’s farm and the Miller’s household.”

“Oh, yeah, we towed that truck.”

Kravitz’s heart stopped beating for a moment, then beating hard and stuttering again in his chest. He was unsure what exactly to say without rushing out the words, but Magnus beat him to it, “Wait, what the fuck?”

“Yeah, I remember it, I went out with regular sized Jerry,” the smaller man also named Jerry said, “But there was no girl there. Just a guy who was passed out drunk on the ground next to the Redcheek truck, we figured he’d gotten trashed on his own supply, yeah?”

Kravitz’s throat felt tight, mouth dry as he said, “Are you sure it was Redcheek?”

Slowly, his case felt like it was finally coming together, like he was no longer running around and around in circles blindly looking for a connection. The implication was terrifying, that Noelle wasn’t in the truck at the time of the tow, but his assumption had been correct which was enough. Actually, if Kravitz were honest, this case had been shaking his faith in himself as a detective. Not that every case previously had been a breeze in terms of following trails and finding clues and cracking mysteries, but there were far too many factors to this one that he hadn’t been able to get a handle on until now. Somehow, his head felt far more clear on this day than any of the previous ones.

“No mistaking it, the logo was right on the side, and he left a case of the finest here with us as thanks for towing him out. Strangest thing though, he didn’t mention a girl, and we assumed he was alone,” the man who looked far too not covered in grease to be working at a garage.

“What Marvy said, he didn’t mention no girl.”

So, Marvey it was, the owner. Kravitz nodded to him, trying to calm himself a tad bit more so his head wasn’t going a thousand miles an hour with his mouth lagging behind. “Who called for the tow?”

Marvey spoke up again, “If I remember right, I think the call came from Lucas to come tow it out. Said he’d noticed the truck on his way home in the middle of the night.”

Immediately, Kravitz knew that was a lie. The crash had been _just_ far enough away from the entrance to his road and around a bit of a bend in the main road that the chances of noticing the crash were extremely small. He tried not to let his voice sway to betray him, “I see. What can you tell me about him?”

“Luke? He’s a pretty harmless guy. Buys a _lot_ of spare parts from us, because we’re always getting a lot of junk cars from the next town over, and he’s always lookin’ to pick ‘em apart. Actually, he’s taken a lot of junk that we can’t use off our hands, it really helps us a lot.”

That made sense, considering the piles of junk scattered around on the Miller property from old cars to electronic waste that had yet to be cleaned up, and that was most likely an environmental hazard, everything else aside. Lucas exasperatedly saying he left the house for other things came back to mind, but that was unrelated at this moment. Kravitz took a moment to think on that, bringing his hands together in front of himself, wringing them a bit before his fingertips touched to the bracelet Taako had given him. The weight resting against his wrist made him feel more secure, and where he’d been feeling a bit hopeless about this case before he was instead feeling confidence.

“So I can get it straight in my head, around this time last year you received a call one night from Lucas saying that there was a truck crashed on the main road. Then, when you went to tow the truck out of the ditch it had ended up in, you found only one person there, inebriated and unconscious. Was he wounded? Did you take him to a clinic to get medical attention?” That seemed to be the logical step, and what he would have done if he’d found someone unconscious on the side of the road at the scene of an accident.

“Huh? Nah, we shook him awake and he was fine, just drunk.”

Somehow, he was not surprised.

Magnus, having been quiet for a while, said, “Well, was there anything else that stood out?”

“It was, uh, kinda weird? I guess. But it was so long ago, didn’t think I’d have to remember it,” Jerry said, the one that was apparently regular sized. Kravitz would have to ask for clarification later.

“What do you mean weird,” Magnus said before Kravitz could follow up on it.

“Well, he was like… I think he sounded, like, scared? I took the phone call, and he wanted us to drop everything and get him out as soon as possible. Wasn’t like we were doing anything, so we headed right down.”

To get them away from the scene? That was the conclusion Kravitz reached. That _had_ to be it, as soon as he found the truck for whatever reason he had, getting it away from the property. Whatever happened to Noelle was getting more terrifying the longer this case went on and the more he uncovered about it. Was she alive on the scene? Dead? There had been no body, and no indication of anyone else around. The driver himself hadn’t even noticed Noelle was missing, failing to point it out in any way to the Hammerhead mechanics.

With his silence persisting, Marvey said, “That’s about it though, once we fixed the truck up it was on its way.”

“I see. Thank you for your time gentlemen, you’ve helped me out more than you can even imagine,” and as an afterthought, Kravitz took his notepad out of his breast pocket to jot down some keywords so he wouldn’t forget the details. As arbitrary as that seemed since he was going over each little detail with a fine-toothed comb in his head.

“No problem, bud.”

“We’ll be taking our leave now, but if you can think of any other details about that night, I’m staying at the motel at the crossroads of the main road. Leave a message at the front desk for Kravitz in room 4,” he said, tipping his head in the mechanics’ direction.

“Will do. Now, especially you Magnus, get outta here. You two, get back to work,” Marvey said, ducking back into the garage to go back into the office he had come from before.

Turning back toward the car, they both entered in silence, closing the doors and sitting there for a moment. Before either of them said anything, Kravitz turned the key.

Once.

Twice.

The only sound that came from the engine was a truly pathetic sound, like the wheeze of an ill-maintained animatronic at a run down amusement park attraction that should have been closed decades ago. Maybe even the animatronics from a child’s pizza parlor would be comparable, Kravitz certainly felt like his soul was covered in the sticky, half dried soda spills and the squashed remains of ancestral popcorn spills that were swept into the corners of the establishment.

Then, nothing.

By the look of it, both Jerries had heard his car make the horrific sound, motioning for the both of them to get out so the car could be pushed into the garage for what Kravitz knew would be an expensive tune up, by the look of it.

  


* * *

 

  
  
Two hours later, Magnus and Kravitz were back on their way to the house. Magnus, soul of a saint, had kept him company since he didn’t have anywhere to be. It saved Kravitz from having to read outdated magazines in the dingy client waiting area. Though, they didn’t talk about the case itself, knowing that the details and the conclusions would be sensitive information that he didn’t want the whole town knowing in the event it would spread.

He had been right about his wallet being lighter for the repairs that his car suddenly needed along with the new battery. The refill on the windshield washer fluid was free, though. As was the new air freshener hanging on his rear view mirror that smelled far too strongly of pine for his senses to handle, but he wasn’t doing anything about it currently. Out of laziness, or because he was preoccupied with watching the road and his thoughts, he didn’t know. Possibly both.

“So, Lucas.”

“I’ve been hitting so many dead ends in my case, I’ll admit that I’m extremely surprised that so many dots have been connected today. I didn’t think I’d get nearly that much information, thank you Magnus for the help today, I’m truly grateful.”

“Yeah, man, no sweat. But he’s up to some fuckin’ shady shit, and none of it is sitting right with me,” Magnus said, looking at him.

“Me neither,” Kravitz glanced at him quick in acknowledgment before turning his eyes back on the road, “There is a lot to comb over, and I have even more questions. Thankfully, I also have some more answers, and I really must thank you again. It wouldn’t have even occurred to me where to go for this information, and it would have taken me far longer to get it.”

“Only thing that sucks is those sharks bit your wallet for like so much more than Sloane would have charged you, but you wouldn’t have gotten there. So that’s a bummer.”

“Tell me about it,” Kravitz mumbled quietly before he said, “Is there anywhere else you can think of for me to check today?”

“Not that I can think of right now, but if you can drop me back home that’d be dope. I’ve got some shit to do before I head to work later.”

“Of course, I understand.”

It didn’t take much longer after that for them to get back to the house, now just a little after midday. They had started early, but between the crash scene, getting caught up at Lucas’ place, and the garage, it was now past twelve. Kravitz hesitated when he pulled up in front, wondering what exactly he was going to do now. He could go back to try and investigate some more, but he also wanted to get some other opinions on the information he’d gotten, preferably from someone who knew the case information just as much as he did.

Magnus turned to him before he could decide and said, “If you wanna come in, that’s cool.”

Why not? “Alright, thank you.”

So, cutting the engine, they both walked inside to the sound of a daytime television programme on, and the telltale signs of an overreacting crowd to whichever shocking revelation of either someone being the father or someone facing their unfortunate fear of a common household object. Taako was curled up on the couch under a blanket, looking sleepy as he watched, as if he was going to drift off into a nap any moment.

“Hey,” called out, without looking up, and Magnus hummed in response as he walked past. “You good?”

“Yeah, me and Kravitz just got back from some _shit_ involving Doucheas, but I gotta go help Merle out with something right now so I’m sure he can tell you all about it,” Magnus nodded in Kravitz’s direction as he disappeared around a corner, and Kravitz watched Taako’s head whip back to him as if surprised.

“Oh, shit, um. Hey, stud.”

“Hello,” Kravitz said, standing awkwardly at the threshold of the doorway still.

Taako sat up and pulled his legs up on the couch, “Well don’t stand there Krav, come sit and tell me all about what that little shitstain did now.”

Sitting down, Kravitz went through the details of what happened during the morning, up until now, and from after they had parted ways the night before. At some point, Magnus walked past them again and out the door. That left them alone in the house, the sound of trashy fights being broken up coming softly from the television while Taako’s ice cold toes wedged their way underneath his thigh as they spoke.

Kravitz felt truly comfortable for one of the first times in his life, sitting there with someone who was making him relax from how on edge he had been the more they spoke. As if the feeling from the night before had started spreading throughout him, piercing through hardened layers of isolation.

Unknowingly, a storm was brewing on the horizon, but for this moment, Kravitz was at ease.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey lads, back at it again with another chapter. I'm still going to astrally project myself into whole foods and snatch up the asparagus to create a summoning circle so I can fistfight griffin mcelroy because of shit i've had planned for this fic which you will understand. in the meantime, I really hope you enjoy this chapter because I have been trying so hard to make it good. y'know, between playing horizon zero dawn and watch dogs 2 and overbutt and basically wasting away. big shoutout to the three people I met at bishonencon who I talked a bit of TAZ with, you guys were super cool and I'm glad I went.
> 
> the second half of this chapter is something I've been planning since I started the fic and I'm so excited I finally was able to get to this point. I'm notorious for never finishing a fuckin thing and dropping it instantly once it's published. I can't even tell you how much unpublished shit I have for so many fandoms.
> 
> anyway if you wanna talk with me about my headcanon that kravitz's favorite kind of music is new wave/synth pop/early alt and that he owes his teenage angst to his favorite song The Killing Moon, hmu on the [tungle](http://slimejen.tumblr.com/) or [twitter](https://twitter.com/somegarbageisok)
> 
> as always, thank you so so much to everyone who reads this and also leaves me thos Good comments. I'm so appreciative I can't even express it. please enjoy this chapter!!!

There was a certain charm to this quiet, early afternoon. The house to themselves as they watched television. Taako had convinced him to get comfortable, take his shoes off and hang up his coat. Kravitz had his feet up on the coffee table, careful not to knock over a precariously stacked magazine pile that was millimeters from knocking over a tower of empty mugs and glasses.

Taako’s feet ended up in his lap, Kravitz half covered by the blanket that Taako had been burrowing under, and the warmth was pleasant. Daytime dramatic programming started turning into afternoon specials, but Kravitz felt no sense of urgency to move from where he was, feeling like he had found out far too much today that needed to simmer in his mind before he made his next move. At least he had pleasant company while he did that, company that had eventually abandoned their comfortable position to switch sides on the couch, cuddling up to him instead.

The physical contact felt natural, which in itself was unnatural; more than odd for him. Generally, he wasn’t the type of person for personal contact, and when it did happen, it was more a case of Kravitz having to expend energy to do so, to care. To care too much, even, as if it were an obligation needing to be filled because of a relationship status. With Taako, it felt almost normal, dare he say organic. A silly thought, considering how little they knew each other. They were mutually attracted to one another, that much was certain, but the inklings of a genuine connection were a bit terrifying.

Kravitz could count their encounters on practically one hand, and truly, it had been less than a week since he’d first seen him in the diner in passing. Sure, he had thought Taako was attractive then, but from Taako coming onto him, to immediately breaking an urgent sexual tension that had gripped him so thoroughly, to hooking up after a wedding. Here he was, though, breathing in the faint scent of Taako’s shampoo as fingers walked up his chest, one tugging on the half windsor knot of his tie and effectively loosening it.

He ignored how his heart sped up just a little bit, almost traitorous in his chest, but he tried to keep a neutral expression as he side eyed Taako and said, “Can I help you?”

“Hell yeah you can help, wanna go pork?” Taako asked, flippant in his tone of voice as usual, very obviously serious.

Kravitz wouldn't have been able to stop himself even if he'd been prepared, tilting his head back against the couch as he laughed almost too loud. It took a second to compose himself after his sudden outburst before he said, “Pork? Really?”

“Yeah homie I'm super horny, and I've been waiting for you to fuckin’ jump me for like an  _ hour _ so what the fuck gives?” As Taako said that, the hand that had pulled his tie loose traveled right back down to his stomach, pushing against him. Obviously teasing, scratching at his skin through the fabric of his cheap button up shirt but not going lower.

“You've been waiting for me? I was under the impression you having me get up to refill your coffee mug was your way of telling me you were still waking up. I for one was enjoying divorce court,” the matter of fact way he said it along with his sweeping gesture toward the television with his hand was interrupted this time by Taako snorting loudly into his shoulder. Something that was far more adorable than Kravitz wanted to admit, and Taako’s shoulders shaking as he continued laughing only serving to make Kravitz feel somewhat enamored.

The conversation was flowing so easily for him, normally clammed up by this point, especially if at any point in time he'd been intimidated by a sexual interest. If he were honest, Kravitz was still intimidated by Taako; he found it far too easy to grab his wrist to push his hand lower, Taako taking the hint and touching him through his slacks. “I'm gonna suck your soul through your dong,” Taako said, snickering as the words came from his mouth, and he followed up with, “Shit, I can't even keep a straight face, not when Nancy is out for blood and Martha is  _ living _ for it.”

Kravitz couldn't help laughing too, watching Martha bang the gavel while he repositioned himself so his arm was around Taako’s shoulders, “I'm impressed that her hair hasn't lifted off her head yet, how much hair spray has to be used for that kind of volume?”

“We talkin’ about Martha, Nancy, or let's be real about my guy here Roderick, his is gonna ascend all the way to Valhalla at this rate,” Taako punctuated it with a squeeze to his dick.

“All three, actually,” he said, extremely amused at the image of this trashy young couple before a former playmate daytime television judge. Kravitz rarely got time to sit down to himself, never mind to watch mindless programming like this. A situation that was admittedly very nice, especially with the prospect of getting a bit of action on this rare lazy afternoon. He almost felt like bringing up the possibility of popping open a bottle of wine, but no matter how appealing day drinking and watching divorce court was, he would not be able to justify that at all. Though, he had a sneaking suspicion that Taako probably could. “Roderick’s hair is tacky, but his acid wash, ripped jeans in  _ court _ is the real crime. Shame that this isn't the type of court you can get arrested in.”

“I am  _ loving _ the idea of fashion court! I'd lock Nancy up for ten years for that blouse, who let her match that teal with  _ that _ shade of orange? I know they say complimentary colors look good together, but that is  _ not _ a compliment,” Taako said, curling into Kravitz’s side just a bit more.

“Are we going to talk about the shoe choice?” The camera panned toward Nancy once again, perfectly timed as if to demonstrate his point. “Her feet look like sausages stuffed into glittery cerulean coffins, it's an absolute travesty,” before he had even finished, Taako was half wheezing again into his shoulder. The hand on his dick had been mostly forgotten, but Kravitz wasn't going to complain, ripping apart the fashion choices of a young couple going through a nasty split truly was incredibly satisfying.

“I know! She needs like… at  _ least _ one size up, maybe a wide. Homegirl needs better color coordination too.”

“Completely different shoes, while she’s at it. Her use of wedge heels with this outfit is gaudy at best, she would have done much better with flats,” Kravitz replied almost too easily, something that had Taako humming his agreeance. 

Taako’s hand under the blanket sneaked toward his own, fingers threading together loosely and effectively making Kravitz’s heart slam right up into his throat. “Or like a good pair of Mary Janes would have gone spectacularly with her look. She could have also used some bigger earrings to balance out the whole look, but she dropped the ball.”

“They look like clip-ons.” Kravitz squeezed his hand.

Taako squeezed back and said, “They’re  _ definitely _ clip-ons.”

Kravitz wet his lips, clearing his throat as his thumb rubbed across Taako’s. “I wonder if Roderick citing irreconcilable differences is stemming from his use of Aquanet versus her use of Aussie. I'd bet ten on her using Malibu Musk too,” Kravitz said, laughing and feeling uncharacteristically light as Taako made a gagging sound into his shoulder before it subsided into a giggle. “I'm glad they're making the split.”

“That's what I'm saying! They can both do much better, but I think they should hook up with some stylists first. The ‘80s are over, and dead, and it's time to let go, starting with this nationally broadcasted disaster,” Taako said, even as he got up and grabbed for the remote on the coffee table to turn the television off. “Alright Krav, we've got like maybe an hour before Angus comes home, maybe more if he stops by the diner first, but he usually comes right home on Mondays. Chop chop,” he said, clapping his hands as he walked toward the hallway to his bedroom. Kravitz stared, dumbfounded for a moment, watching him walk away in what could only be described as a sashaying manner. 

Kravitz got up and followed him after a moment, eyes trained on him. He would be lying if he said the view wasn't enticing, and that he wasn't charmed despite Taako’s scandalously honest way with words. The more time he spent with him, the more comfortable he felt, and he wasn't sure if that was just attraction speaking. He hadn't ever known a single soul like Taako before, to say he was unique was an understatement. Still, Kravitz felt drawn to him, and as he followed him into his bedroom, he inhaled the heady scent of incense once more. A scent he was starting to associate with Taako. It was nearly intoxicating, but perhaps that had to do with how Kravitz was backed up against the frame of the door and kissed hard. 

It left him breathless for a split second, chasing for a beat of silence before his loose tie was tugged on by Taako to drag him away from the door as it got tapped shut with his foot. Kravitz hadn't really paid too much mind to the difference between their heights before, but Taako had at least five inches on him that were making him hot under the collar. Something that he hadn't quite explored in his own head, being rather average height; he certainly was a sucker for taller people, especially ones that kissed him what felt like sincerely—like Taako could feel some kind of connection too. They fit well together, Taako taller and thicker with more weight on his frame than Kravitz had. It suited him.

“Bubbeleh, you look like you're in space,” Taako said as he finally undid the rest of Kravitz’s tie and tossed it to the floor, starting on the buttons to his shirt. “I'm like super horny, you cool with getting fucked?” The blatant words had his cheeks noticeably heating up, and before he could respond, Taako followed up with, “See? That look on your face is super adorable Krav, I'm  _ beeegging _ you, I wanna see that cute shit unless you're not cool with it, then my ass is yours.”

“Oh, um,” Kravitz stumbled for a second over his words, not expecting the straightforwardness of the request and the immediate accommodation in case he was uncomfortable. “Yes?” Which, he wasn't, but he could still feel himself get far too flustered about it, which had Taako closing in on him again, pecking his lips and grinning against him. 

“That yes to question A or numero dos?”

“I just didn't expect it, um, yes, I'm alright with it,” Kravitz said, following up quick with, “That's um, to A. I'm fine with it.”

“Perfect, Krav, I'm gonna take fuckin’ phenomenal care of you babe,” Taako said as he pushed his button up shirt over his shoulders. Taako himself was in a large shirt that came up high on his thighs, similar to when he had encountered him the second time. When he'd been offered coffee in heavy air quotes and he had declined out of intimidation and professionalism. How his defenses had fallen so quickly, he had no idea, but Taako guiding him down onto the bed on his back and kissing his neck sloppily had him buckling even quicker. 

He had thought he'd moved past this stage of fumbling, and truthfully, sex hadn't been more than just a release for him for a long time. Kravitz had cared about people in the past, he had felt those giddy feelings of young love and the sex associated with it had been fun, absolutely. With Taako, there was something else there lurking under the surface that almost felt like that, but more passionate. Feelings he definitely had not known Taako long enough for, but maybe he was an impassioned fool who was weak for a beautiful man scrambling to unbuckle his belt to get at his dick as he kissed down his chest. That might have been the key. 

They had barely even started and Kravitz was already turned right on to an embarrassing level, gasping loudly when Taako mouthed at his dick through his briefs. He could practically feel him smirking, but thankfully he didn't say anything to him, else Kravitz felt like he might expire immediately. Well, he may just do so anyway, because Taako seemed bent on sucking him off through the fabric, the wet patch from saliva growing by the second as Kravitz was tongued. It was an absolutely odd sensation, certainly nothing that he'd ever had done to him before or that he had done to anyone, but watching Taako do it was what was getting under his skin. 

Taako lifted his head up and said, “Hey, doll, mind scooting up? I'm dangling off the edge and if I fall and break my dong off you're getting the bill.” Taking a pause from his work, Taako tugged his slacks all the way down to get this out of the way. 

“I would like to remind you that  _ you _ were the one who pushed me and pounced on me, Taako,” Kravitz said even as he got on his elbows and scooted up, complying with the request even as he kicked his slacks off. His quiet chuckle was cut off as Taako followed up and pushed his face flush between the apex of his legs, nosing right into the fabric that wasn't as wet from his tongue. He could feel Taako inhale deeply rather than respond to him, and Kravitz watched as Taako grabbed under his thighs to push his legs further apart and up to give him a better angle. This was  _ far _ more intimate, and now that he had his back to the headboard, he had a great vantage point of Taako’s mouth. The visual alone was great, but the sensation of Taako’s tongue on his balls through his briefs made it much better. 

Before Taako was done teasing, there was a large wet patch that was almost starting to feel uncomfortable to Kravitz, but relief came when the garment was tugged off and tossed over the side of the bed. Taako immediately took back up where he left off, but on skin, sucking lightly on the side of his cock and slowly jerking off the rest of it. “Your chub is adorable,” Taako spoke against him, pressing a full tongued kiss to him, sliding up to take the head into his mouth. Just for a moment, just enough to tease and to send a shiver up his spine at the barest hint of teeth scraping on him as he pulled back off and got up off the bed. 

Kravitz watched him as he went rummaging through a dresser drawer, finally pulling out what looked like lube, cementing their afternoon plans going far smoother than the almost disastrous sex they'd had in his hotel room. In his defense, he hadn't expected to come to this town and find someone to mess around with. So, he hadn't thought to pack anything he would have needed, of course. Taako tossed the tube on the bed somewhere next to his hip, seeming to forget it for now in favor of grabbing his dick and going right back down on him. 

His fingers threaded into Taako’s hair, a muted sound caught in his throat as Taako picked up a steady pace with his mouth, leisurely jerking off what wasn't in his mouth with his hand. Apparently, for all of Taako's teasing, he wanted to get to the main act quickly if the sound of the cap of the lube opening was enough of an indication. The hand on him came off, but immediately after, fingertips pressed against his hole, slick and teasing. It wasn't often that he found himself letting someone else take care of his needs like this, but on the same token, Kravitz rarely had his needs put first. Not that he had expressed as such to Taako, that he was more than alright with this. 

Typically, Kravitz was expected to do the legwork during sex with near all of his previous partners. A realization that had him a bit breathless, as two fingers pushed inside of him, that he felt on equal footing with Taako.

Taako, whose mouth pulled off of him, lifting his head up to look at Kravitz for a moment before he said, “You look fuckin’ hot laying here staring at me like that, you feelin’ good?”

That was another thing, the previous time in the hotel and now, talking during ex wasn't really something he did. Despite having a casual encounter with a one night nobody here and there and failed relationships on his heels, none had ever been so, well, casual. Friendly. Basic consent aside, he'd never really been checked in on which made all of this seem worlds apart. 

“Honey you keep looking like you're a thousand miles away,” Taako said, when he didn't answer, and Kravitz’s heart stammered, beating hard when he pulled his fingers from him and instead grabbing his hip. A sweet gesture, especially when Taako’s other hand was gently placed on his neck as he followed up with asking, “You good? I'm horny, but horny for a good time too; I want everyone feeling pumped in Taako’s casa.”

The overwhelmingly comfortable feeling that Kravitz experienced in that moment was almost too much to handle, but he tried best as he could to step back out of the mindset. With no luck, of course, but he said, “I’m good, we don’t have to stop.”

“Alright, excellent, I’m gonna take you to the bone zone then,” Taako said as his hand removed from Kravitz’s hip. “Had me like, worried or some shit for a second there I guess.”

“The concern is very touching,” Kravitz said with full honesty, reaching for Taako, pulling him closer by the collar of his shirt to kiss him quick, then tugging on the fabric again as he said, “Can we lose this?” 

“Hells yeah we can my guy,” Taako said while he took it off, tossing it off the bed along with the rest of their clothing, going the extra step to slide out of his panties as well, leaving them both nude. Taako hesitated for a moment, which Kravitz took the initiative to pull him close again to kiss him, opening his mouth into it. Taako’s tongue pushed into his mouth, and in the same moment he got between his legs completely, lifting one so Kravitz’s ankle was resting over his hip. Kravitz moaned shamelessly into the kiss when Taako’s fingers pushed back into him, especially fond of the close contact as one arm went around him.

Taako’s fingers worked him open quick especially when he added a third finger into the mix, Kravitz truly unraveling far quicker than he’d expected or wanted to. Not that it was a bad thing, Taako found his prostate quickly, pressing up into it hard and often, making him shake as his kisses got more desperate. The intimacy of being so close was not lost on him. Taako was the one to break their lips apart, moving his lips to the underside of his jaw instead, sucking on his skin and by the feel of it intending to leave a mark.

In the meantime, Kravitz’s free hand moved down to take hold of Taako’s length, jerking him off slowly. It was hard to focus with Taako’s fingers pressing into him and sending little jolts of pleasure through him. It was incredibly satisfying to feel his dick go from firm to hard, but even more so the blissed out sigh against his skin.

Kravitz took a breath and tried to keep his voice steady as he said, “I’m close, Taako.”

“Already?” Taako said with a breathy laugh into his neck, continuing, “That was quick.” There was no edge to his words, and Kravitz knew he wasn’t being arrogant about it.

“A testament to your skills.”

“Damn right it is.” Taako said while he pulled away, and Kravitz could see his ego being sufficiently boosted, “Didn’t wanna make you bust yet anyway.” Kravitz watched as he picked the lube back up, and Taako jerked himself off quick to prepare. He couldn’t help the swelling of excitement in his chest, moreso when Taako flashed him an almost unsure grin. “You ready to get blasted?”

Terminology that again caught him off guard, making him snicker as he said, “Blasted was the best word you could come up with?”

“Okay there mister ‘intercourse’ let me take a stab at sounding all proper and shit like you,” Taako said, clearing his throat dramatically then continuing in a horrible impression of Kravitz, “Oi, Kravitz, love, are you down for a spot of copulation? My whingle,” Taako lost his demeanor immediately, dissolving into giggles as he tried to continue, “M-my dingle is s-stiff, may I insert it in your bum?” He couldn’t get through it without stuttering over laughs, barely choking out, “Tea and biscuits later,” before having to muffle himself with his dry hand. 

Kravitz had given up at ‘whingle’ as well, similarly covering up his mouth with his hand as the atmosphere melted into something so lighthearted it was hard to feel insulted. Quite the opposite, Kravitz felt incredibly charmed. The mood was moving very easily between sweet, into frantic, into silly, and really all over the place. “Taako… You’re something else.”

“Something else bad, or something else good,” he asked, not particularly sounding worried about the answer.

“Something else very good, I’m not used to being made fun of when I’m about to have sex,” Kravitz said, feeling a warmth spread through himself as he said it, truly meaning the unsaid sentiment that he was fine with it.

“Sounds like whoever you’ve been fuckin’ around with is boring, Krav.”

“Then you’ll be glad to know that you’re the only person who isn’t ‘boring’ then,” he said with a truthfulness that had Taako smiling again, but pointedly looking away from Kravitz as he got closer.

“Fuck yeah, that’s what I aim for, handsome,” punctuated with Kravitz getting his legs pushed apart and up again slightly. “Let’s do this ish then.”

Kravitz only nodded, bracing himself for the head of Taako’s dick pushing into him. From feel alone now, of course, but earlier with his hand, he knew Taako had thickness rather than length, but that was  _ perfect _ . Slow, stuttering movements of Taako’s body had them near flush together before Taako started rocking his hips. Really, it had been far too long since he’d been on the receiving end like this. Everything felt like it was coming together naturally, from the attraction to the action to everything in between.

For now though, Kravitz put the sentimental thoughts creeping into his head on the back burner. His body slid down on the bed a bit so Taako could get a better hold on his hips, helping by lifting them to make their movements easier. They settled into a satisfying pace. Not too hard, not too slow, and neither fast nor slow. Comfortable. Just right to get Kravitz’s blood pumping again after stopping to get themselves together.

Something bordering on perfect, even if that was a strong word. Kravitz, for once, felt like he was being taken care of. He felt like he could lay back and let Taako take care of him, physically, at least. Kravitz did just that, laid back and watched Taako as he moved. They hadn’t turned on any lights in the room, but the overcast sky of the day was still bright enough to cast the room in almost an eerie, antiseptic glow. It felt clean, unlike the dreary feeling that had crept into his bones for the past few rainy, cloudy days. Instead of the normal gloom accompanying the weather, he felt warm and secure.

Kravitz was the one to reach up and wrap his arms around Taako’s neck, dragging him down into a kiss as their hips rocked together. They had engaged in far more banter as they’d half drunkenly pawed at each other, but he supposed that they had done enough of that already during this encounter. He couldn’t keep his hands to himself though, once their lips were locked, his hands slipped down to hold onto Taako’s back, fingernails digging in as his movements sped up from the steady, moderate pace that had been built up. Faster, and harder too as Taako’s hands moved from his hips to hiking his thighs up and spreading them apart further. Kravitz’s breath hitched, eyes closing tight as his head pushed back into the pillow behind him, breaking the kiss and allowing for Taako’s mouth on his neck once again. This time Taako’s teeth clamped down hard, sucking on the spot and soothing it with his tongue.

His fingernails dug harder into Taako’s back, already nearing release. Even if it had been a while, Kravitz expected a bit more stamina from himself. He reasoned that it had a lot to do with the person he was with more than the amount of time it had been since he’d last gotten laid, which, not counting just days ago, was truly not so long ago.

Taako moaned into his neck, a sound that went straight through him, making him cling harder. His nerves felt like they were on fire, and he was spreading his legs as far as he could, moving his body up to meet Taako’s best as he could. He was close, but he didn’t want to move his hands to try and jerk himself off. Kravitz’s dick was trapped between their bodies, skin rubbing against skin and basically doing the work for him so he didn’t have to touch himself, the two of them crushed close enough together.

Taako shifted, pulling back from him as he continued moving, and Kravitz looked up at him as he said, “That’s my shit, you look  _ perfect _ like this on my dick Krav. You’re fuckin’ hot and you feel fuckin’ great,” Taako said as their eyes locked. He couldn’t find anything to respond with, but the praise got right under his skin and pierced the deepest part of him. “Gorgeous like that, lookin’ all flustered and cute and shit.”

Rather than say anything, Kravitz broke their eye contact by putting his forearm over his eyes. His back was arching as his hips tried to meet Taako’s at a better, deeper angle, but he was only getting closer with every passing second, body getting more and more tense in anticipation. A completely out of character whine was torn from his throats as Taako went harder, clearly close as well, but Kravitz was the first to orgasm. Kravitz moaned loud dead deep as his body shuddered, one of Taako's hands wrapping around his dick to jerk him off through it, which only made his release that much more intense. He could feel his cum land messily on his stomach as Taako fucked him through his release; at some point through this, Kravitz's hands had grabbed onto Taako’s wrists, clinging. He felt Taako’s hips press hard against his and rock erratically at the same time he felt his cum deep inside himself.

His heart was beating hard, and he could feel the sweat on his back stick to the pillows, as well as he could feel Taako slump against him. He panted into Kravitz's neck, and Kravitz wrapped his arms around his back while they caught their breath. There was a distinct fondness spreading through his chest, especially as his heart rate slowed down and his skin cooled. Actually, he felt a bit sleepy as he laid there beneath Taako, leeching his warmth and basking.

Of course, only until Taako pulled out of him and got off him as he said, “We’re gonna end up stuck together; hold up I'll be right back.” Kravitz watched him get up, and he let his hands drop to his sides on the bed, waiting for Taako who eventually came back with a wet cloth to so graciously clean off Kravitz's stomach as well as what had leaked out of his ass when Taako had pulled out. “You good?”

Kravitz took a second to respond, having been a bit in his own head as he started to finally process emotions and feelings that had been on the back burner. “Hm?” Deep affection and attraction and everything else that came with it was worming into his chest and in his mind.

“You look a little out of it kemosabe, you wanna take a quick nap? I'll wake you up in a little while, go ahead,” Taako said while sitting on the bed next to him.

That actually sounded delightful at the moment. Kravitz felt a little dazed, sort of overwhelmed too at that. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, no sweat. I'll go clean up, you can catch some Zs, and I'll make some lunch in a little while. Hop on the snooze train, I got you,” Taako said while pulling the comforter over him from where it was crumpled up on the opposite side of the bed. 

Truth be told, Kravitz had woken up far too early, and on the tail end of a strange dream that was still in the back of his head as he tried to remember the details.  All that came back to him even as he closed his eyes was the overwhelming feeling of safety. At this moment, he couldn't even imagine a safer place to be than in this home, in Taako's bed. Basically in his embrace. 

As he closed his eyes, Kravitz drifted off easily, even with the range of emotions in his head and his heart swirling about. At the very least, he was resting easy as Taako left the room.

 

 

* * *

  
  
  
  


This time, as he woke up, it was not on the tail of a strange dream. Curled up on his stomach under the warmth of a comforter, Kravitz wondered what time it was. Upon opening his eyes, it was still light out judging by the level of brightness in the room, so he hadn’t slept for a long time at the very least. Still, he didn’t make a move to get up, allowing himself a moment to lounge in peace. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of movement in what he was assuming was the kitchen, along with more than one indistinct, muffled voice. Taako, with a possibility of Magnus, or Angus, or whomever. 

After a few minutes, Kravitz decided it was time to get back up, knowing he could not stay there all day even if he deep down absolutely wanted to. As he stood up and stretched, he could feel distinct aches in his body that were more good reminders of the sex than annoying. Still, actually standing up made gravity do the gross work of making fluids leak down the back of his thigh, and it was pure luck that there was a box of tissues within reach so he could clean himself up. Best as he could, at least, until he could get into the bathroom. Something that he would still have to put his clothing back on for.

Of course his clothing was scattered around the room, and to his good fortune wasn’t rumpled irreparably. The only issue was that Taako tonguing his dick through his briefs meant that the garment was still damp, and the last thing he wanted or needed was that. Which meant it was either going without, or asking to borrow a pair. Which would mean actually asking the question, which Kravitz was  _ not _ going to do. Even if, theoretically, he did, did Taako own anything other than panties? Would Magnus be out there, and would he have underwear that fit him? Magnus was sort of a bear of a man.

Which left the shame of not wanting to ask and deciding to search for a pair of Taako’s, eventually finding a pair that were red with black trim. Not only did they fit, once Kravitz pulled them on, they felt  _ great _ against his skin. Checking himself out in the full length mirror Taako had on the closet, they looked great too. Something he would quietly keep to himself for now. 

Kravitz decided not to dwell on it, getting dressed with no other interruptions. Slacks, socks, quickly buttoning his shirt and tying his tie. He picked the jacket up and draped it on Taako’s bed, deciding to come back for it later since he was still warm from his nap, a rare occurrence indeed. Rare enough that he knew he would overheat, which would have been quite bad. 

Opening the door to Taako’s room, the voices he heard were indeed Taako and Angus, and after a quick trip to the bathroom to make sure he was presentable and to clean up a bit more, he joined them in the kitchen. Angus was at the table, books spread out in front of him as he presumably did his homework. Taako was at the fridge, looking for something or other while over on the stove there was a pan that was sizzling.

“Good evening sir,” Angus said as he walked over to the table and took a seat.

“Good evening, Angus.”

“Hey there Krav, nap do you any good?”

“Actually, I think it did. I feel well rested,” he said, as Taako went back to the pan that was on the stove. “Angus, did you have a good day at school?”

His attention turned back to Angus who looked very pleased he'd asked, “I did, we got assigned to do a presentation in three weeks on a topic of our choice, so I stopped at the library after school and chose a variety of books to find a topic. I don't know what to pick, so I'm doing a little research on a lot of things, and then when I narrow it down I'll start my thesis. I'm going to try and do that by Wednesday to maximize my research time.”

“That's very impressive, Angus,” Kravitz said, looking over at his work briefly to see pages of notes already. He truly was so incredibly smart, and his drive was inspiring. Kravitz was envious of his energy, and he could definitely feel a bit of questionable pride swelling in his chest for Angus.

“I mean, I guess, but it seems like a waste of time to write a bunch of stuff about a bunch of things and only have to use like, a fraction of it,” Taako said before he turned around and walked over to where he was sitting, placing his hand to the back of Kravitz’s neck. “You were out for like two hours bubbeleh, I was gonna wake you up after maybe half an hour but you really did hop on the snooze train. You want anything? Water? Pain killer?”

“Yes, and yes, please.” Not that he was in pain, but he had a small, lingering headache from the previous events of the day as well as soreness he would love to have subsided. “Also I think it's admirable for Angus to immediately get to work on his studies and to seek different options for his research,” Kravitz said as he leaned back into Taako’s hand.

“Learning something new is never a waste, Taako,” Angus said in a chiding manner, and Kravitz looked up in time to watch him roll his eyes.

“I guess; you're the smart boy, not me.”

Taako squeezed the back of his neck lightly before getting him what he asked for, rattling around in a cabinet over the sink briefly. In the meantime, Angus said, “Anyway, Taako wouldn't tell me the details, but I know you and Magnus went out this morning, and I still do not know what you learned last night.”

“Thank you,” Kravitz said quickly to Taako when he was handed a glass of water, downing the handed pain medication. He thought for a moment how to best go about explaining before deciding on the truncated version. “The short version is, at the bar, I found out that the truck delivery routes are different from the main road, then this morning Magnus and I drove along the route and happened upon what looked like a crash scene. We then headed to Lucas’ place to ask him a few more questions, and he was acting especially flighty. Then, we went to the Hammerhead garage and found out that about a year ago, they had towed the Redcheek truck. Only the driver had been on the scene, no Noelle.”

Angus put his pencil eraser to his bottom lip momentarily, thinking about what he had said. “That doesn't make any sense…”

“Marvey informed us that Lucas had made the call for the tow, and another one of the mechanics let it slip that Lucas had sounded nervous.”

“Nervous? Then obviously he was up to something. But if the scene of the crash only had one person there, but Noelle would have had to have been there as the delivery assistant, she should have been there too. This doesn't add up,” Angus put his pencil down and put his notebook aside as he turned to new information over in his head. Kravitz could practically see the gears turning. “It was absolutely the Redcheek delivery truck?”

“That's the other thing, at the scene of the crash, I found a single undamaged bottle of Redcheek cider. It was there, there is no mistaking it,” the bottle was still in the car, tucked between the seats safely. 

“So it  _ had _ to be the truck, I see. What is the next course of action?” Angus asked thoughtfully, most likely rhetorically. Then he said, “Was there anything else that stood out? Like when you visited Lucas?”

Kravitz took a moment to think about that, going back over the encounter in his head as he said, “We arrived, and as soon as Lucas saw Magnus he freaked out, but once he calmed down…” he remembered the freak out, then Maureen coming to check out the commotion. Then the argument. “Magnus said something, and Lucas started arguing with him,” humming, he continued, “Something about keeping the town safe? He also referenced someone named Johann, who is that?”

Before Angus could open his mouth, Taako quickly said, “A friend we have, unrelated to whatever bullshit was being spewed.”

“Um, I'm not sure who he really is, I know  _ almost _ everyone, but not him,” Angus said, almost as confused at the slight outburst. “But what else?”

Taking a moment to pause at the strangeness of the interruption and what he said being swept under the proverbial rug, Kravitz said, “His story also does not match up to what we know. He also seemed very insulted that you all seem to think he never deviates from a schedule. Then he banned us from the property.”

“Are you going to go back?”

“To the property?” Angus nodded. “I know he is hiding more, but I don't know what. I'm wondering if a search under the cover of night might help,” Kravitz said as he thought about the pros and cons of trespassing. He had to adhere within the limits of the local authorities, and he knew if he were caught, Isaac would limit his investigation without a second thought. He was so close to putting the pieces together that he could almost taste it, the answer felt just within reach, but it still seemed so far. 

Lucas definitely had something to do with it, and there was something he knew about the crash. Whether or not Noelle had been there was an answer that he was scared to find out. 

“Sir, um, was there anything else that you found out? If there's anything else I can help with I'm more than happy to.”

“Ah, I think that was it, but I really do appreciate all of the help you've given me already, Angus,” Kravitz said sincerely. He did appreciate every bit of help he got, but the mental legwork was done, now it was time to get his hands a bit dirty. “I'll go to the Miller household alone later, and I'll investigate myself. If I find anything suspicious and need assistance deciphering it, I know where to turn.”

“Well, that's later. Aang, you finished with homework? Geek research can wait until later.”

“It's not  _ geek _ research, Taako, I have a project-”

“Homework?” Taako asked with a hint of finality.

Angus sighed, closing his books after placing bookmarks with the utmost of care, “It's done.”

“Excellent. Clear the table and set it. Krav, you hungry? I know I said lunch earlier but it's dinner now, you staying?”

Considering he ate very early in the day, and now the sun was setting behind the clouds, his stomach was completely empty and he felt he was running on fumes. Nodding, he said, “If I'm not intruding, that would be lovely.”

  
  


* * *

  
  
  


Dinner had been a simple affair. Well, Taako proved to be an excellent cook time and again which in the back of his mind begged the question of why he seemed to have some kind of formal training that wasn't being put to use. Another thought to save for later, for when he wasn't sneaking through the woods at night and onto the Miller property. He had parked on the street just around the bend from the Miller’s road, choosing to take the extra precautionary step. He had consulted the map in the car of the surrounding area, making sure he was going in the right direction. 

Still, as Kravitz walked carefully through the woods, he thought on how it had truly been a long time before coming here where he had sat down with others for a meal. Not counting his diner escapades, sitting down for dinner just hours before had been… enjoyable. Typically, he was alone, and typically if he wasn't alone it was at a restaurant where he couldn't wait to get away. But it had just been him, Taako, and Angus. Something that felt terribly domestic. Certainly something he hadn't done since his parents had passed, something he rarely did with people he dated. In those situations, it felt forced. 

As he trudged over a fallen tree, he thought again about what would happen when this was all done. He would leave, obviously. There was no situation in which he could see himself staying, and on the same token never in his wildest imagination would anyone he was acquainted with transplant themselves. That wasn't even a possibility that any fool would fathom, and the thought was silly in the first place. He already knew he was attached, though, despite his efforts to not. 

If he had been looking to stay unattached, then he would not have said yes to such a preposterous invitation from Taako on his second night. He also would not have gotten this far without the help he gained as a consequence. Certainly a tough situation and an even tougher call to make. It was yet another thing to examine once this was all over, the thought tossed atop a growing pile of thoughts he was putting off confronting until this case was over.

The atmosphere made him feel uneasy, there was something almost chilling about his surroundings. The cloud cover had cleared up completely, leaving the pitch black of the night sky hanging overhead. Above, the stars were dim, especially so with the trees rising up above him. The moon hung low in the sky, and at that was waned almost invisible, but not quite. Kravitz stepped carefully, small flashlight illuminating very little of the ground. His shoes were squishing down onto the damp earth and foliage, making it hard to see sticks and rocks and other such hazards.

The cold air burned his lungs, temperature dropping considerably, which had already been on the chilly side. Uncertainty coiled in his gut the closer he got to the Miller property. Faintly, through the trees, he could see lights on in the house indicating that they had retired for the night which would make this investigation much easier. Turning his flashlight off, Kravitz went towards it, making sure to stay low on the off chance that either of them were outside or looking out of the windows, or if one of them were driving out or in. Nothing of the sort, it seemed, as the silence in the air besides the soft crunch of his shoes on the ground. No animals, no breeze, nothing.

The silence was deafening.

His precautions weren't for nothing; as Kravitz heard the sounds of a vehicle coming up the road, he ducked behind a tree to make sure he was still hidden. It seemed that all at once, the night started up again. The sounds of the dirt crunching under the tires as it slowly went up the road, and the quiet scurrying of whatever little critters were around reached his ears, but Kravitz was dead silent as he waited for it to stop. It stopped in front of the house, and Kravitz waited a breathless length of time until he heard the engine cut. Even after what seemed like minutes, the door had not opened, and whoever it was did not step out of the vehicle.

Kravitz chanced getting closer, stepping carefully on the ground, trying to avoid making noise so he could strain his ears to catch any movement. Only the muted sounds of the woods, the soft squashing of damp foliage beneath his shoes along with it. As he got closer to the edge of the property, the trees thinned out, and Kravitz stopped, crouching low as he saw the vehicle more clearly. It was a truck, one that he had recognized as being there the previous times he had come out for questioning. It was parked in such a way that he could not see inside, but his hair was standing on end the longer he waited for the occupant to step out.

After an eternity, the door opened, almost too quietly for him to hear. It was still too dark to see who exactly it was, the lights of the house behind them not illuminating enough to show details. What Kravitz could tell was the hesitation was palpable, as if they were putting something off, stuck between here and there and trying to decide where to go, what to do. His heart leapt into his throat when he heard a sudden sound, the dragging and clinking of metal. A soft swear, almost too soft to hear over the jangle of what could only be a length of heavy chain. The door of the truck remained open, forgotten, as they walked away from the vehicle.

He was almost completely certain they had to be Lucas, but Kravitz at this point would not be surprised if it was not considering all of the strange stuff he had encountered in the past week. Strange people, strange situations, and Kravitz genuinely was unsure what would be in store for him. He had hoped to come here and maybe search around the many small work sheds on the property under the cover of night, see if he could find anything out of the ordinary in them. Unfortunately, that did not look to be in the cards, as the individual was walking past them. Kravitz waited a moment before following at a distance. He emerged from the tree cover, inspecting the truck for but a moment, crouched and hidden as he looked over the side of the bed to track where the person was going. He would have to take a moment to double back and check the work sheds. Each one definitely had a purpose, but the person did not stop at any of them. 

They seemed to be going far past, toward the other edge of the property, and they seemed to be walking quicker now. Kravitz followed as quickly and soundlessly as he could, ducking behind cover as he moved and waited. It was still too dark to see who it was, but the frame looked very much like Lucas as they moved through the yard and around piles of scrap. They seemed to be nervous, looking around as if paranoid, but not specifically at him. It seemed more general. Around Kravitz, the lights of the house itself went out, signaling whomever was inside probably settling in for the night. It was quite late, anyway. 

Kravitz was right about the person heading to the edge of the property, and Kravitz waited for them to head into tree cover to follow, staying low as he took each nerve wracking step. He made it, waiting a moment to follow back into the trees, but not having lost his target for the periodic soft clink of the length of chain they were holding. Kravitz moved slower again, stepping carefully as he followed at a distance; the last thing he wanted to do was mess it up now and blow his cover. 

He had left the map in the car, and truly for the better since the crinkle of paper would be loud, and having the flashlight would draw the  _ most _ attention to himself. From memory however, he could tell they were heading north in relation to the town itself and his mental map. Further into tree cover, further into the anxiety clawing at his consciousness. The person didn’t spare any other glances backward, headstrong and unaware of being followed as far as Kravitz could tell.

That’s when Kravitz heard it.

A sound that made his blood congeal in his veins, made him stop in his tracks. A sound that Kravitz was unable to describe, something that sounded like a scream scraping against metal. It felt like a grinder was cutting away at his bones, the horrible sound hanging heavy in his ears and on his consciousness, what  _ was _ it? How had he not heard this before, this thrashing, the rattling of chain that was distantly accompanying the sound. The sound of something he could not identify, but filled him with an anxiety that he had never felt in his life. 

Standing still, his back to a tree as the sounds continued, he belatedly realized that he had lost sight of the person he was following. Not that it would be hard to find them, because where else would someone be going carrying a length of chain? Toward whatever this sound was for certain. To lock up a beast.

A deep terror was seating itself into Kravitz’s entire being, trying to wrap his head around what this could be. What sort of event would cause Kravitz to hear something like this, what was being hidden in the woods behind the Miller household? 

What was Lucas hiding? What had he done?

Kravitz felt dizzy, nausea ripping through his insides the longer his thoughts raced. He could feel his body slumping, sliding down against the tree he was leaning against until he was seated on his legs.  Where was Noelle? What exactly had happened to her? 

The sound stopped, and with it, Kravitz’s heart seemed to stop. A numbness spread through him, making it hard to breathe as his ears strained to catch even a hint of commotion. For a moment, Kravitz nearly wished he could undo every action that led him to be here, in this moment. He wished he could go back in time and decline this case from the person who had paid him handsomely upfront to take it. He wanted to belatedly decline it. Move on with his life.

If he had done that, he would not be here, feeling like he was detaching from the environment completely. If he had not accepted this case, he would not have met so many wonderful people either. He would not have met so many people who had helped him so much, on the case itself, but on a personal level. Something he would not admit out loud, but it had been so long since he had interacted with people and since he had actively sought others. In any context, not just whatever passionate encounters he had with Taako.

The silence of the woods was still terrifying, allowing him to hear the rushing of his own blood in his ears as he tried to calm down and center himself. Thinking of his nice afternoon just hours before helped, the memory of gratification of course reminding him. More than that though was the ghost of a hand squeezing his, and Kravitz squeezing back, fingers interlocked. Of a small voice telling him that as long as he was here, Kravitz had people who cared about him.

What Paloma said about accepting help from friends. Listen to them, accept help from them. It was true, Kravitz was not used to accepting help from others, and it had been hard so far to open himself up to it. Now, though, his limbs tingling and being so frightfully alone with the unknown literally at his back, just the thought of accepting assistance from others was comforting him. Nobody was physically here with him, but he could feel a shift inside himself once he calmed down and reasoned it out. 

The bracelet Taako had given him hung heavy on his wrist, and as he had done many times since it had been given to him, Kravitz rubbed the stone encased in twice with his fingers. It helped to clear his mind, to ground him further. He felt a bit silly, letting fear overtake him, even if it was a natural response to something that felt overwhelming. 

The question remained on his mind, what exactly had Lucas done and what was he hiding? Questions that could possibly be answered by whatever was close by, dormant for the moment. Kravitz breathed deeply, picking himself up mentally and putting his determination back together. He had to find out what happened, he had to get to the bottom of this case and find out what happened Noelle Redcheek. It was a fool’s dream to imagine she was still alive, but if that was the case, what had her fate been? Where were her remains?

Physically picking himself up from the forest floor, Kravitz felt shaky at best, but he was feeling a streak of stubbornness that was making him move forward. Disregarding if he was making noise, stepping on small branches as he moved in the direction he had last seen the person he had been following. It did not take long to come upon what looked identical to the work sheds on the Miller property, but this one a single, stand alone structure. 

Many things happened at once, as he stepped out of the trees and into a small clearing. 

First, he noticed the door to the shed was closed, but that it looked incredibly beat up even in the low light of the night. Second, he noticed none other than Lucas sitting on the ground against the side of the shed, head in his hands, terrified as he looked up at him. He didn’t say anything, but the look in his eyes was the epitome of pleading, a deep panic having overtaken Lucas as it had Kravitz moments earlier. The chain was at his feet, laying seemingly forgotten as Lucas quietly hyperventilated.

Then, Kravitz heard whatever was inside shifting, clinking. The sound of whirring, as if something was powering up and about to discharge powerfully.

Kravitz felt his voice shake, alarms ringing in his head as he said, “What did you do, Lucas.”

In a suspended moment, he heard straining, the groan of metal stretched to its limit before the breaking point. Lucas choked out through his tears, “I’m sorry.”

The roar from within the walls of the shed shook Kravitz to the very core, and it was pure instinct that had him running before he could even comprehend that the structure was broken apart and falling to the ground. Kravitz refused to look back, knowing he had to get as far away as possible as soon as possible. 

So much for determination.

His heart slammed against his rib cage, hair standing on end as he heard chaos behind him, a thunderous howling as whatever had been contained was now free. Back into the trees, weaving between them as he ran. As fast as he could, making his lungs burn with the cold air that seemed to chill even more as the night went on. He had no idea what time it was, no idea what direction he was going in, or even how long he had been running. It felt like hours, days. Even as he heard the rumble fading in the distance.

He didn’t stop until he reached the last place he expected to be, the lake. The lake, still and silent, the water seeming to be so calm as to not even lap at the shore. It seemed to be a part of it that he had not been to, not recognizing the stretch of beach he had come out onto. Unsurprising, since it was so large, and he had only explored what was close to the road.

Except, there was the music, soft, serene, getting louder as he stood there dumbfounded.

Panic, replaced by anger. A deeply rooted anger that was frothing as it stewed within him. Reaching the boiling point within seconds. Kravitz felt like he wanted to tear his hair out, this puzzle piece slammed back into the middle of his mind. His neck felt hot with the intensity of it, a different sort of shaking as his fists clenched at his sides, breath coming hard from exerting himself. The world behind him was silent as the music wrapped around him, tempting him. He knew what to look out for this time, how not to get trapped into it by not focusing on it.

His teeth ground together, jaw clamped together as he listened and looked around, residual headache from earlier in the day coming back full force. This was ridiculous, every single thing about this case was absolutely mind numbingly absurd, and it was tearing him apart. Up until now though Kravitz knew he had been far too complacent and accepting, but the rage buried in his gut was threatening to explode out because of everything coming together in ways he was not understanding. As if the biggest piece of the puzzle was staring him in the face, and he was blind to it.

That was when he saw it, the rickety dock on the edge of his peripheral vision with a single figure sitting at the end. Kravitz did not even spare a look behind himself to see if there was imminent danger, his feet started carrying him toward it before his brain caught up. He had to know who it was.

The closer he got, the louder the music got, and Kravitz could faintly make out the motions of an instrument. It was still almost unnaturally dark out, even in the open, but he had spent enough time in orchestra to know the motions of someone using a violin. Of course, the closer he got the better he could pick out the sound and the individual notes.

Stepping onto the wooden slats, Kravitz was grateful for his head being so clear, stepping purposefully toward the musician whose details were obscured. The closer he got, the more ambiguous they seemed. The darker the sky seemed to become. The irritation was scratching at his insides, but he kept to himself until he was standing just before the edge of the dock. He was finally noticed, the music stopping as Kravitz saw the person look up at him and in the most apathetic voice he had ever heard in his life, say to him, “Uh, hey.”

As he was about to respond, his stomach dropped to his feet as he heard running footsteps behind him. He had no time to react, frozen in place as hands firmly planted onto his back and shoved him hard, knocking him off balance and careening forward off the dock with a startled shout torn from his lungs. Kravitz could feel his life flash before him, unable to get a breath in as he hit the frigid water, plunging beneath the surface.

The last thing he felt before his body could respond was the sensation of being bound, his restrained frame dragged down into the depths of Lake Void.


	7. are you nasty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY i'm going to immediately and thoroughly apologize that it took THIS long for something THIS short. to be fair i always intended this chapter to be like waaaaaaay way short and way under my usual word count. it's also... a bit different. you'll see this immediately, and hopefully it's not Bad
> 
> and i'll try not to take as long again. i'd gotten like... some sort of super illness a few weeks ago and i was down and out for far too long. i did post that other fic in the meantime related to this one, but hooh boy was i legally deceased for a while. and then i had a bunch of prep for a wedding i'm in next month. and now persona 5 is out...... etc etc. if you wanna hit me up on tungle or twitter i'm slimejen / @somegarbageisok :^)

“You uh, you really pushed him dude, what the fuck,” Johann’s monotonous voice reached his ears as Lucas stood paralyzed at the end of the dock, gripped with terror at the plethora of things that had just happened in succession. A conversation he did not want to have right now, let alone actually address Johann at all. He persisted, though, “He uh, he had a really nice suit on man, it’s gonna get ruined.”

“Oh, well, what a tragedy,” Lucas said as sarcastically as he could muster, the anxiety and adrenaline clawing through his veins still and breathing hard. The danger was _not_ past, and this time it was much, much worse. The last thing he needed was to be standing here with Johann of all people, trying to think of a solution, and getting sassed about pushing Kravitz.

“You should pay for his dry cleaning.”

He could feel himself flush up from anger, pulse racing even harder as he stuttered, “W-watch it, or you’re next.” His mouth could barely wrap around the words, thinking about the horrible monster that had just been unleashed. The dread was sitting in his stomach like a lead weight, knowing that his mistake was rampaging somewhere and he _had_ to go contain it. He had to do something about it before it could do anything else.

“Hey man, I was minding my own business, I don’t appreciate the threats. You’re the one coming around, pushing people into the lake. It’s like forty degrees out, and I dunno who that is, but he’s gonna catch hypothermia, I bet,” Johann said, the same dullness filtering into Lucas’ ears. “You gonna wait around for him? He’s probably gonna be real mad, and like, I’m not taking the heat for it.”

“You don’t understand,” making a frustrated noise in his throat, Lucas turned around, walking away as he said, “A-and I don’t have to explain myself.”

“Whatever, hey, do what you want. I don’t care, this isn’t my mess.”

What to do, what to do. What the _fuck_ was he going to do now? Johann didn’t say anything else, and the phrase ‘this isn’t my mess’ was ringing in his ears as he rocked back and forth on his heels for a moment. The abomination had gone in the opposite direction, and he would have followed if not for the events of the past few days leading up to this exact point.

He should _not_ have done what he did, that was a given, and he would give anyone that—that he’d fucked up. Lucas would accept the consequences, but first he had to set it right. How he was going to accomplish that, he didn’t know.

Not to mention, this had all started a little over a week ago. Everything had been _fine_ up until then, up until a routine visit to Paloma’s shop to pick up something he had been waiting for to aid him in his research.

The crystal had fallen from the ceiling on its own, as soon as he had walked into the shop and closed the door. It fell a few feet in front of him, shattering into a million pieces. The crystal itself had been _big_ , bigger than Lucas had ever remembered seeing hanging from the ceiling. There were many sizes, sure, ranging between small and large, definitely variation in between. This one however had been large, and instead of clear, it had been murky. Almost wild looking. It had felt like slow motion, watching it fall, passing by in bullet time right in front of his face before breaking on the floor, scattering fragments all over.

Paloma had been sweeping something into the back corner behind the small table she used for readings, but as soon as the crystal dropped, so did her broom. She went stock straight as Lucas stared down at the mess before looking up at her while she mechanically rushed up and grabbed his face. She had taken a noticeably stuttering breath, speaking in a voice that he had never heard from her before, one that he shuddered thinking about even now in the present, pacing back and forth on the beach.

Speaking as close to him as possible, she had said, “You’ve done the impossible, but it is going to cost you. You will have help, but you will not recognize it until the last moment. When you have hit the bottom, when you are blinded by fear, everything will hinge on you pushing the stranger.”

A prophecy that had shaken him to his very core days later when his… experiment (God, what else was he supposed to call it?) broke free in the early hours at dawn. Lucas had only recognized it because he had been staying up far past normal sleeping hours working on a project, and he had been wrapped up so tightly he had almost missed it.

It… was unethical at best, at worst, Lucas was probably facing a felony in the real world.

It had broken free, and Lucas had almost missed the disturbance in the woods behind the house and the work sheds. Faint, barely heard over the low sounds of the radio he had turned on in an effort to keep himself awake as he toiled. If he had gone to sleep as his exhaustion had pleaded with him, there would have been a crisis, Lucas had no doubt of that. Lucretia would have probably killed him up front…

Pacing, pacing, trying not to panic. Johann had sat down at the end of the dock again, picking up his violin and apparently deciding that this was no longer his problem. Truly, it wasn’t, and a large part of Lucas envied him, just for a moment.

His thoughts were all over the place, scattered from the, frankly, excessive feeling of trepidation clawing through his consciousness. Lucas felt like the physical manifestation of anxiety at this point. His heart was palpitating alarmingly, trembling, sweating, dizziness, the works. The whole nine yards, maybe even the tenth yard.

Paloma had recovered from the prophecy without a word, going back to picking up her broom, albeit winded. Lucas had rushed out of the shop directly after, not wanting to confront what he had been told. He had not even spared a thought to stave the soul crushing guilt that he would otherwise have felt, but Lucas felt it in the moment the words ‘you’ve done the impossible’ left her mouth. In that voice that was going to haunt him until the end of his days.

He had been crumbling ever since, sick with shame, regret.

Lucas had barely slept, and if he had caught even a moment, it had not been restful. Especially after the first escape. It had torn through the forest, but luckily not through the town itself, missing most everyone. He had gone after it on foot, and luckily in its blind, frenzied state, he had been able to catch up to it just as it had reached the edge of town, but the church was an unfortunate victim. It had been pure luck that he had caught and wrangled it, bringing it down just long enough to get it back to where he was keeping it.

He’d needed to fix the doors, but that was done easily enough with the tools he kept out in that work shed, but the chains that had been binding it he blamed on a faulty link. Lucas had replaced them immediately, and locked it back up to deal with later. An unexpected error that he had not thought would happen, this thing going berserk. Only after the prophecy had it started acting up, and yeah, his bad, he would take the blame for not following up sooner and instead avoiding the problem.

Now it was too late.

Ever since that moment, Lucas had known no peace. Ever since Kravitz had shown up, Lucas had known the end was drawing near, and that things were going to happen. Which things, he did not know, but there had been no doubt when he had come downstairs in his home and there had been Kravitz, an unknown entity to the equation that there was no doubt that he was the ‘stranger’ that he had to push. Of course, he hadn’t known that would mean literally, not until he had ran in the same direction and saw him seething at the end of the dock.

Truthfully, if his fear addled mind had not had him running purely on instinct, his cowardice might have prevented this. Or maybe it had been the adrenaline which forced the decision, though he had no idea if it was actually a good one yet.

Only after Taako had asked him about Paloma as he’d left had Lucas realized what he had said about Cassidy taking the blame. Not to mention the additional questions in the days after, and his total freak out to put off the inevitable. Lucas had scrambled for an excuse, but the last thing he wanted to say was that he eavesdropped on the CB that was jacked into the police frequency when he knew he should not use it. At least she had been absolved once they ruled out explosives and Merle’s ridiculous claim that it was her. Thankfully, the hole had been plugged up and had not been investigated into further. Formally, at least. Isaac really did not give a shit, it seemed, which had worked to his advantage of moving around unseen about this matter.

If only he knew what to do from here.

Everything about this was giving him the jitters, feeling almost hysterical the longer he paced, the longer he had to listen to Johann playing a tune that felt as sad as humanly possible. As if composed specifically to layer on the crippling contrition coating his very soul, making him tick.

“I get it, Johann,” shouted over the notes as he crossed his arms, squeezing his forearms with his hands to the point of pain. Fingernails digging into his own flesh.

“Shut up,” Johann shouted back, continuing to play. Lucas wanted to tear his own hair out.

Without knowing what would happen from here, unaware of how long he had been standing still since his pacing ended, Lucas didn’t even spare a thought for Kravitz whom had not surfaced yet.


End file.
